JD-S-Congress set for 4-1 victory over BJP in Karnataka bypolls

The ruling JD-S-Congress coalition in Karnataka was well on its way to trouncing the BJP in the Lok Sabha and Assembly bye elections on Tuesday, leading in two parliamentary and winning in two assembly seats including the Ramnagara seat where Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha won on the JD-S ticket by a huge margin of 1,09,137 votes.

The BJP, which has run government only in Karnataka in the entire south, could console itself with managing a lead in Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency where former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's son B.Y. Raghavendra has put a lead of 52,146 votes over JD-S nominee Madhu Bangarappa, the son of former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa.

The Shimoga seat was vacated by Yeddyurappa on his election to the assembly seat in the June elections.

In the Bellary (reserved) Lok Sabha seat, Congress candidate V.S. Ugrappa was leading over BJP's J. Shantha by a huge margin of 2,14,826 votes.

While, in the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, L. Shivarame Gowda of the JD-S was leading over BJP's Siddaramaiah by a margin of 3,24,925 votes.

In the Ramanagara assembly, the 55-year-old Anitha Kumaraswamy defeated BJP's L. Chandrashekar.

Chandrashekar had quit the BJP to rejoin the Congress ahead of the November 3 bypolls. His nomination, however, remained since the final date of withdrawal had passed.

In the Jamkhandi assembly seat, Congress candidate Anand Siddu Nyamagouda from defeated BJP's Shrikant Kulkarni by 39,480 votes.

Workers and supporters of the ruling alliance -- JD-S and Congress -- who contested the bye-elections together, broke into celebrations across the party's offices in Ramanagara and Jamkhandi district, as well as in Bengaluru.

The counting of votes that began at 8 a.m., was still underway in the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Bellary, Mandya and Shimoga.

Around 66 per cent of the 54.5 lakh electorate voted in the five bypolls on Saturday.

--IANS

bha/in/vsc