New Delhi/Bengaluru, Oct 29 — Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, on Thursday celebrated the victory of NDA candidates in all four seats in the MLC elections, taking a swipe at the ruling Congress over cross-voting and asserting that the BJP-JD(S) candidates had secured straight wins.
Reacting to the results, Kumaraswamy said the four winning candidates were not among those who had benefited from cross-voting. He said the outcome was an occasion for those involved in cross-voting to introspect.
Taking a dig at the Congress, he said that while the ruling party had earlier secured victories through cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP and JD(S) candidates had recorded straight wins in the MLC polls.
“Our four winners are not among the candidates who got cross votes. This is the right time for the cross-vote crooks to introspect. Our heroes will face the consequences of cross voting,” Kumaraswamy said.
He also warned those responsible for cross-voting that they would have to face the consequences, in a pointed message to the ruling Congress amid the political fallout of the election results.
It can be noted that the ruling Congress in Karnataka scored a duck in the MLC elections with the NDA taking home four seats, three by the BJP and one by the JD(S).
The elections to the Legislative Council seats held on October 23 was seen as a test of coordination between the alliance partners BJP and Janata Dal (S) and the level of support the Congress may have or not have among teachers and graduates.
The BJP won the North-East Teachers' constituency, the South-East Graduates' and the West Graduates' constituencies. Its ally JD(S) took the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka had stated, the NDA’s victory in all four Karnataka Legislative Council constituencies signals its prospects of winning the next Assembly elections.
He expressed confidence that the BJP-JD(S) alliance would win over 160 seats in the 224-member Assembly if both parties worked together.
He said A.P. Ranganath’s victory in the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency was possible due to coordination between leaders and workers of both parties. He claimed the defeat of Congress-backed candidate Puttanna was a setback for Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
He also advised Congress leaders to introspect after losing all four seats and said the NDA would bring a stable government to Karnataka.