Congress has won a clear majority in the Karnataka Assembly elections bagging 121 out of the 223 seats contested.

The ruling BJP and the JD-S won 40 seats each. The Congress now has a working majority which will enable it to form the next government on its own. This opportunity for the Congress party comes after nearly seven years after it lost power in 2006.

Victory for the Congress would have been sweeter if – KPCC president G. Parameshwara had won. But he lost to P.R. Sudhakara Lal of the JD-S by a margin of 18,155 votes.

The saffron party – Bharatiya Janata Party, which came to power for the first-time in south India, in May 2008 saw its tally reduce from 110 during the previous elections to 40 largely due to infighting as well as several scams including the infamous mining scandal.

Its most bitter rival, the Karnataka Janata Party led by former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa bagged a mere six seats but managed to spoil the BJP’s chances in several constituencies in coastal Karnataka, Mumbai-Karnataka, Hyderabad-Karnataka and even in Bangalore city.

The Janata Dal (Secular), headed by father-son duo – H.D. Deve Gowda and H.D. Kumaraswamy, made inroads into the BJP stronghold in Bangalore city. It also managed to retain most of its seats in its old Mysore and was able to increase its tally from 28 to 40 this time.

Though the Congress had been able to topple the BJP, it now faces an unusual situation with at least three leaders throwing their hats in the ring for the chief minister’s post. It is perhaps for the first time that the Congress is witnessing such a situation where the aspirants have publicly declared their intention for the top post.

Industry leaders in the State have welcomed the verdict of the electorate as they believe it will pave the way for stability in governance.

“This is a clear anti-incumbency verdict against corruption and political instability. The mandate calls for a clean and stable government,” Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said in a statement.

Perhaps the biggest gain rivals Congress and the JD-S made was in the BJP stronghold Bangalore City. BJP could win just 13 seats out of a total of 28 seats. Congress won 12 and the JD-S bagged three.

In Old Mysore, chief ministerial aspirant, Siddaramaiah, took it upon himself to garner more seats and contained JD(S) in its march in this region. This region mainly dominated by Vokkaligas saw straight fight between Congress and JD(S).

anil.u@thehindu.co.in

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