Karnataka bypolls: Congress wins both seats, 'unexpected', says BJP

The BJP said that the results will have no impact on the 2018 assembly polls

The Karnataka Congress rejoiced on Thursday after winning both, Gundlupet and Nanjangud assembly constituency seats. In a closely fought contest, Congress' candidate Geetha Mahadevprasad emerged victorious with the Bharatiya Janata Party's Niranjan Kumar. Geetha Mahadevprasad received 90,260 votes while BJP's Niranjan Kumar, B S Yeddyurappa's hand picked candidate managed to poll 79,383 votes. Geetha won by a margin of 10,877

In Nanjangud, BJP's candidate, Srinivas Prasad faced massive embarrassment with managing to receive 64,878 votes while Congress' Kalale Keshvamurthy polled 86,212 votes sealing a victory. With a massive margin of 21,334 votes, the Congress beamed a victorious smile. The result is directly Siddaramaiah's victory and B S Yeddyurappa's defeat. The BJP failed to consolidate the Lingayat votes despite B S Yeddyurappa leading the campaign in both constituencies.

The bypoll had become a matter of dignity to the Congress in Karnataka that was fighting hard to protect its bastion. The loss comes as a massive embarrassment to the BJP and B S Yeddyurappa in specific who had been confident of a victory. As results of round 10 of counting started trickling in, the BJP conceded defeat.

I accept the defeat in byelection,will bounce back in 2018 assembly elections with 150 seats.I thank Karyakartas who worked day & night.

— B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) April 13, 2017

Reacting to the massive loss of face in both constituencies of Karnataka, the face of BJP's campaign and state president B S Yeddyurappa said that the results were unexpected. "We expected to win both seats. The result is unexpected and we didn't expect such a huge difference. It doesn't mean that it will affect the next assembly election. We should respect the people's verdict. Congress has spent money here," he said. As counting drew to an end in Karnataka, BJP leaders conceded defeat and congratulated the Congress.

The bypoll to the assembly constituency was held on April 9. The seat fell vacant after the death of Mahadevprasad. His wife, an academician was given the ticket to contest the bypoll from the Congress. The sympathy wave that the Congress was banking on has worked in their favour. Niranjan Kumar has lost elections for the seat twice earlier and the BJP was hoping that it could elicit a sympathy wave for him. In 2013, he had contested from a KJP ticket. The BJP's hopes of consolidated the votes that were split in 2013, seems to have failed this time around.

OneIndia News