Record bid: Kharge, Dharam meet with contrasting fate

Gulbarga, May 25 (UNI) The aspirations of two Congress stalwarts from this district of Karnataka to create a record at the hustings met with contrasting fates.

While Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Mallikarjuna Kharge created a record by winning the elections for the ninth consecutive term, former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh's dream of creating the same record was thrashed today.

Mr Kharge defeated BJP candidate Valmiki Nayak in Chithapur by a comfortable margin of 17,456 votes, despite changing his constituency from Gurmital following the delimitation exercise.

However, lady luck was not on the side of Mr Singh as he was defeated by BJP candidate Dodappa Gowda by a wafer thin margin of 52 votes in Jewargi, his home constituency.

This was for the first time that the 72-year-old senior Congress leader had tasted defeat, after representing Jewargi for eight terms since 1972.

The outcry of the people about lack of basic amenities like drinking water, roads and sanitation in the constitutency despite Mr Singh being a Minister for more than a decade and Chief Minister for about 18 months might have contributed to his downfall.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Kharge expressed shock and sadness over the defeat of Mr Singh.

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