Congress, BJP bag 4 seats each, JD(S) 3 in K'taka Council polls

Bangalore, June 1 (UNI) Janata Dal (Secular), the ruling coalition partner in Karnataka, today suffered a jolt when its fourth candidate lost, while its ally BJP and the main Opposition Congress bagged four seats each in the biennial elections to the Legislative Council from the 225-member Karnataka Assembly.

The elections, held to fill eleven seats falling vacant on June 17, saw the JD(S) which had fielded four candidates, winning only three, with the fourth nominee Amarnath Shetty losing out.

With its effective strength of 58, including nine members of the All India Progressive Janata Dal, who have been suspended, the JD(S) could, on its own, win only three seats. However, it had fielded a fourth candidate. The AIPJD members, who were vocal about defying JD(S) whip, played a crucial role in the defeat of Mr Shetty.

The elections witnessed a tie for the eleventh seat between the Congress and the JD(S), with the Congress nominee and Council Chairman V R Sudarshan emerging victorious after second round of counting.

In the first round, eight candidates emerged clear victors, with BJP nominees Janardhan Reddy and D S Veeraiah securing 20 votes each and Thontadharaiah getting the requisite 19 votes. For the Congress, K C Kondaiah, Mottamma and Qaji Arshad Ali got 20 votes each, while the JD(S) nominees Abdul Azim Chikkamadu and H C Neeravari secured 19 votes.

There was a three-way tie for two seats as BJP candidate Vimla Gowda secured 18 votes, Mr Sudarshan 16 and Mr Shetty only 14 votes.

After the secound round of counting in which preferential votes were transferred, Mrs Gowda and Mr Sudarshan were declared elected with an overall tally of 28 and 19.6 votes.

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