Team Congress-JD(S) wins Karnataka civic polls, BJP makes inroads

The Congress and HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular), which run a coalition government in Karnataka, will together control most civic bodies in the state.

Results of elections held to 105 urban local bodies in Karnataka on Monday pointed to the resilience of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance, which is currently in power in the state, although the Bharatiya Janata Party made clear inroads in the southern regions of the state.

As of 3 pm, results were announced for 2,661 wards out of 2,664 across 22 districts in the state. Of these the Congress won 982 wards, with the BJP coming a close second at 929, and the JD(S) finishing a distant third, winning 375 wards.

While the alliance partners Congress, JD(S) and the Bahujan Samaj Party decided to fight independently, it was announced on Friday that the partners would form alliances in urban local bodies (ULB) where there was a hung mandate.

While the state’s overall results pointed to a close fight between the Congress and BJP, it masked the latter’s good show in some districts, especially, in the northern districts of the state. In Bagalkote district, BJP won 161 wards out of 312; in Belagavi, the BJP won 104 wards, higher than the Congress, which won 85, but lower than independents, who won 144 of the 343 wards. In Gadag district, also in the Mumbai-Karnataka region, the Congress won 57 wards, while the BJP won 54.

Apart from this, the BJP managed a victory in the Chamarajanagar city municipal council, in an area where it has traditionally been weaker than the Congress. However, in the Kollegal CMC, the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party together won a majority.

In the central districts, the BJP continued its good showing from the recently concluded assembly elections where it won 66 of the 148 wards, followed by the Congress with 44, and the JD(S) with 21 wards.

The Congress delivered good numbers in the Uttara Kannada district on the coast, where it won 87 wards out of 200, while the BJP won 85. The BJP had swept this district, and the entire coastal region, in the recently held assembly elections, where the Congress could win only two out of six seats.

In the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, meanwhile, the Congress maintained its lead over the BJP. The party won 299 wards out of 595, with the BJP finishing second with 184 wards.

The JD(S), though, proved its might in its traditional strongholds of Hassan, Mandya and Tumakuru districts. While in Hassan the JD(S) won 91 out of 135 wards, in Mandya it won 64 out of 117 wards, and in Tumakuru it won 51 out of 115 wards.

Significantly, the BJP did well in the three city corporations to which elections were held. Surprisingly, it emerged as the single largest party in the Mysuru City Corporation, where it bagged 22 of the 65 wards. However, the alliance partners put together had a majority, with the Congress winning 19 wards and the JD(S) 18. In the Mysuru Corporation previously, the BJP and JD(S) had been in an alliance.

The results were similar also in Tumakuru city, where the BJP won more wards than the alliance partners, winning 12 out of 35 wards, but the Congress and JD(S) won 10 seats each, helping the alliance sail through. In Shivamogga city, the BJP sailed through easily, winning 20 out of 35 wards.