NDA wins 3 Karnataka MLC seats, leads on 4th

In Karnataka, the ruling Congress tasted a humiliating defeat in Bengaluru Teachers’ MLC seat. The two Graduates' Constituencies and two Teachers' Constituencies cover nearly two-thirds of Karnataka, and the results came as a shot in the arm for the BJP. JDS candidate AP Ranganath (Bengaluru Teachers) and BJP candidates KM Suresh (Southeast Graduates), SV Sankanur (West Graduates) and Shahil G Namoshi (Northeast Teachers) gave the NDA reason to cheer  with their victories. The BJP-JDS combine winning three of the four seats and leading on the fourth in Karnataka when last report came in.
NDA candidates won two of the Karnataka Legislative Council seats on Tuesday, with the BJP leading in two other constituencies. DA candidate AP Ranganath defeating sitting Congress MLC Puttanna despite the election being conducted through ballot papers. The result prompted a dig from JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly questioned the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and demanded a return to ballot paper voting. Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Nikhil Kumaraswamy said there were no EVMs to blame this time, as the election was held through ballot papers and the Congress was in power in Karnataka.
Ranganath, a JD(S) leader, who is the joint candidate of the BJP-JD(S) alliance, secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna's 9,902, defeating him by a margin of 908 votes.BJP's Shashil Namoshi retained the Karnataka North-East Teachers’ constituency in elections that saw the use of paper ballots. The contest was seen as a test of coordination between the BJP and JD(S), which are alliance partners, as well as the Congress’s support base among teachers and graduates.

(State Correspondent)