Karnataka bypoll results: Siddaramaiah, Gundu Rao resign after big loss to BJP
BANGALURU : Karnataka’s ruling BJP firmly established its majority in the assembly today, winning 12 of 15 seats for which by-polls were held last week. Conceding defeat, Congress leader DK Shivakumar said voters had “accepted defectors.”
BJP has taken a clear lead in the Karnataka bypolls and is all set to win around 12 seats in the assembly. 15 Karnataka assembly seats faced bypolls on December 5 in a crucial election for Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.
The Karnataka bypolls were critically important for the BS Yediyurappa government that came to power after toppling the JDS-Congress coalition government. BJP needs 6 seats to retain majority in the Karnataka assembly and the party has already won 6 seats with leads in others.
The JDS-Congress coalition has accepted defeat in the Karnataka bypolls that were necessitated after 17 rebel MLAs quit the government and moved to the BJP, taking down the Kumaraswamy government. The counting of votes began at 8 am in 11 centres in Karnataka and the final results are most likely to be out by the evening. Follow live updates on Karnataka byelection results:
Although ,the news from Karnataka is in, and it will not be welcome for the state opposition, led by H D Kumaraswamy’s JD(S) and Siddaramaiah’s Congress. The bye-elections are a sweep for the ruling BJP, for whom B S Yediyurappa can now lead a majority, and, probably, a stable state government.
Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and State Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao quit their posts after the party posted a poor show, winning only two seats, as against the 12 it had held of the 15 which went to the bypolls on December 5.
The bypolls, held on December 5, were necessitated after 17 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs were disqualified after their revolt against the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in July. The collapse of the coalition led to the BJP coming to power. Twelve of the 15 seats were held by the Congress and three by JD(S).
Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday welcomed the outcome of Karnataka assembly bypolls, swept by his party, saying the result reflected voters’ reaction to “opportunist politics”.
(Bureau Report with Agency Inputs ).
