Saffron reigns supreme in Karnataka

 Re-asserting the saffron supremacy in Karnataka, the ruling BJP today won 19 of the 28 seats, leaving only six to a weakened Congress and three to JDS, whose ambition to play a larger role at the Centre suffered a setback.

Riding piggy back on its government's performance, BJP added one more seat to its 2004 tally of 18, as it maintained its grip over the state after winning the assembly polls last year which heralded the saffron rule for the first time in the south.  

Attempts by BJP's principal adversary Congress' to revive its flagging fortunes failed to yield any results as the party bagged two seats less than what it won the last time.  JDS, part of the Third Front, which had nursed hopes of a larger role for itself in the next government formation, increased its tally by one but failed to make much headway in denting the BJP's support base despite its strong sway in the Vokkaliga belt.   

Among the prominent winners are JDS chief Deve Gowda from his home turf Hassan and his son Kumaraswamy (Bangalore Rural), M Veerappa Moily(Chikballapur), BJP General Secretary H N Ananthkumar (Bangalore South) and party's state unit Sadananda Gowda (Udupi-Chikmagalur).      

Senior Congressman and political heavyweight S Bangarappa, known for party-hopping, was humbled by B Y Raghavendra, son of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, in Shimoga by an impressive margin of 52,893 votes.