As the final results of the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 came out on Tuesday afternoon, it became clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that has emerged as the single largest party in the State, failed to shake the Congress base in Hyderabad Karnataka (HK) region. However, it has succeeded in slightly improving its performance as compared to the previous two Assembly elections.
Of the total 40 constituencies spread across the six districts of the region – Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal and Ballari – Congress managed to bag 21 seats, leaving 15 seats for BJP and 4 for Janata Dal (Secular).
In the 2013 polls, Congress had bagged 23 seats and BJP had to share second place with JD(S) with just 5 seats.
Even in the 2008 Assembly polls, when the money and muscle power of the mining barons of Ballari changed the political scenario in the State, Congress had managed to bag 22 seats, leaving 12 for the BJP and 5 for the JD(S).
Winners, losers
Of the six influential Congress leaders who served as Ministers in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet at times, three have won and three have lost. Minister of State for Municipalities and Local Bodies Eshwara Bhimanna Khandre, and Information Technology and Bio-Technology Minister Priyank Kharge won from Bhalki in Bidar district and Chittapur in Kalaburagi district respectively. Former Minister P.T. Parameshwar Naik won from Hadagali in Ballari district.
Higher Education Minister Basvaraj Rayaraddi, Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil and former Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi lost from Yalburga in Koppal district, Sedam in Kalaburagi district and Kanakagiri in Koppal district respectively.
‘Not satisfactory’
In Kalaburagi district, the home district of Congress leader in Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress’ performance was not satisfactory. Of the total 9 seats in the district, it has bagged only five as compared to 7 seats in the 2013 elections. On the other hand, BJP has improved its strength from just one seat in the last elections to 4 seats now.
Anand Singh and Nagendra, the tainted mining barons who had joined Congress just ahead of the elections, have won from Vijayanagar and Ballari constituencies respectively in Ballari district.
Malikayya Guttedar, a six-time MLA who quit Congress to join BJP ahead of elections declaring that his main motto was to make Mallikarjun Kharge and his family politically irrelevant in the region, has himself lost in Afzalpur to Congress candidate M.Y. Patil who quit the BJP to join the Congress. His declared efforts to defeat Mallikarjun Kharge’s Minister-son Priyank Kharge in Chittapur also went in vain as Kharge Junior won against his immediate rival, BJP’s Valmiki Naik.
N.Y. Gopalkrishna who quit the Congress to join the BJP a few days ahead of elections won from Kudligi. Senior JD(S) leader P.G.R. Sindhia who contested from Basavakalyan in Bidar district has lost to Congress candidate B. Narayanrao. Manappa Vajjal who quit JD(S) to join BJP lost to Congress candidate D.H. Hulageri in Lingasugur, Raichur district. Raichur JD(S) MLA Shivaraj Patil who joined BJP along with Mr. Vajjal has managed to retain the constituency by defeating Congress candidate Syed Yasin.
