Poll stars do not augur lucky for defectors

Party hopping failed to augur well for defectors in Karnataka, with just two out of eight of them winning the popular mandate at the hustings.     

Former BJP MP and city cop H T Sangliana, who had gone against the party whip and voted in favour of the UPA during the crucial trust vote, failing to garner the winning numbers from Bangalore Central on a Congress ticket.     

The former city police commissioner had been issued a ticket from Bangalore Central, overlooking old loyalist and former Union Minister, C K Jaffer Sharief. Sharief was fielded from Bangalore North, where he lost to another Congress defector D B Chandregowda, who won from BJP.     

In Bangalore rural, C P Yogeshwar, a Congress leader who switched over and embraced 'Lotus' saw his electoral fortunes go awry, defeated by JDS state unit head H D Kumaraswamy.    

Among prominent losers and party hopper was S Bangarappa, a four time MP and seven time MLA S. Bangarappa, who entered the Congress fold for the fourth time after a brief association with SP, lost to the Chief Minister's son B Y Raghavendra in Shimoga.    

Other defectors who failed to win were Gurupadappa Nagamarpally in Bidar, who crossed over to BJP from Congress, L R Shivarmegowda in Mandya and M Shivanna, who defected from JDS to Congress.    

The only two exceptions were D B Chandregowda who won from Bangalore North and G S Basavaraj from Tumkur who crossed over to BJP from Cong.