Karnataka MLC polls results: BJP bags two, Congress emerges victorious in one seat

Bengaluru, Jun 15: The ruling BJP has won two seats while the opposition Congress has emerged victorious in one seat in the biennial election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from teachers' and graduates' constituencies held recently. The result of one constituency is yet to be announced.

As per the reports, Basavaraj Horatti, who had won seven consecutive terms in the past, has won his eighth term from the West teachers constituency. In North West Teachers' constituency, former Congress MLA and MP Prakash Hukkeri has emerged victorious, defeating Arun Shahpur of BJP, who was seeking re-election, and Chandrashekhar Esappa Loni of JD(S).

Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa of BJP, who was seeking re-election, defeated Congress' Sunil Annappa Sank in N-W Graduates. However, JD(S) did not field any candidate for the seat.

The process of counting of votes which began at 8 am. The elections were held for North-West Graduates, South Graduates, North-West Teachers, and West Teachers constituencies on Monday. It had an overall voter turnout of 71.01 per cent.

The elections to the four seats of the Upper House of Karnataka Legislature were necessitated as the term of BJP's Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa (N-W Graduates') and JD(S)' K T Srikante Gowda (S-Graduates'), BJP's Arun Shahpur (N-W Teachers') and JD(S)' Basavaraj Horatti (W-Teachers') are coming to an end on July 4.

A total of 49 candidates were in the fray for the polls, including four women. The ruling BJP and the principal opposition Congress had fielded one candidate each in all the four constituencies, while the JD(S) had candidates in the fray in three constituencies other than the North-West Graduates' constituency, the remaining candidates were all either independents or from unrecognised parties PTI reported.

Horatti, who was Chairman of Legislative Council until recently, had resigned from the post to join the BJP, and is now the ruling party's candidate for West Teachers' constituency, seeking a record eighth successive term. He is pitted against Basavaraj Gurikar and Shrishail Gadadinni from the Congress and JD(S) respectively. For N-W Teachers' constituency, the battle is between Arun Shahpur of BJP, who is seeking re-election against former Congress MLA and MP Prakash Hukkeri and Chandrashekhar Esappa Loni of JD(S); while for the South Graduates' constituency, former MLC M V Ravishankar of the BJP is taking on Madhu G Madegowda of Congress and H K Ramu of JD(S).

Of the four constituencies, only N-W Graduates seat witnessed a direct fight between Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa of BJP, who is seeking re-election, and Congress' Sunil Annappa Sank, as JD(S) has not fielded any candidate from the seat.

The results are important for the ruling BJP to maintain its majority in the 75-member upper house, which it recently gained, following the unopposed election of four of its candidates during the biennial polls for seven MLC seats in the State elected by MLAs, last month.

PTI