BJP registers first win as rebel candidate Shivaram Hebbar wins from Yellapur

Bengaluru, Dec 09: Rebel candidate Shivaram Hebbar won from BJP ticket from Yellapur constituency.

Congress (INC) won the seat in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections and in the 2013 Karnataka Assembly Elections with a margin of 24,492 votes (20.28 per cent) securing 48.06 per cent of the total votes polled.

The BJP appears to be cruising through in the Karnataka by-elections. Of the 15 seats that polled last week, the BJP is leading in 12 seats.

The BJP needs to win 6 of the 15 seats to retain power. The party also enjoys the support of an independent lawmaker. In the current assembly, the party has 105 of the 208 seats.

The strength of the assembly was reduced following the disqualification of 17 MLAs. This development led to the toppling of the JD(S)-Congress government which was headed by H D Kumaraswamy.

The two parties with a combined strength of 101 seats will need to win at least 12 seats in order to be able to form the government in Karnataka.