The Congress routed the JD(S) in the crucial by-elections to two Lok
Sabha constituencies -- Bangalore rural and Mandya on August 24 and
emerged strong in the once JD(S) stronghold.
The Congress must congratulate itself for fielding actress Ramya, who defeated C.S. Puttaraju of JD(S) in Mandya.
The choice of Anitha, the wife of former CM Kumaraswamy, as its candidate in Rural Bangalore cost the JD(S) dearly as she had recently lost Channapatna assembly election. This time, she lost to D.K. Suresh, younger brother of Congress strongman D.K. Shivakumar.
Ramya, making her electoral debut, trounced Puttaraju by a margin of 67,611 votes, officials said. In Bangalore Rural, Suresh registered an impressive victory bagging the seat with a margin of around 1,37,000 votes against his opponent Anitha.
Not just the choice of candidate, but even the resentment among voters worked against JD(S). Both Bangalore Rural and Mandya Lok Sabha seats were dominated by Vokkaligas and were held by the JD(S).
The bypolls were necessitated after JD(S) state chief and former CM Kumaraswamy and another JD(S) MP Cheluvarayaswamy quit their Parliament seats in Bangalore Rural and Mandya respectively after they got elected to the state Assembly in May 2013.
Ramya's win could be partly attributed to the sympathy wave as she lost her foster father R.T. Narayan on the day of her nomination.
The Congress upperhand is a set-back for JD(S) and BJP which had entered into an alliance and were calling this election as a referendum to Siddaramaiah government's performance.
"The poll result is a clear indication that people are happy with Congress governance in the state," said chief minister Siddaramaiah.
The victory of Congress has not only established the power of Siddaramaiah in the state, but has strenghtend him for the general elections. On the other hand, it is a major embarrassment for JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda.
Both
Ramya and Suresh maintained convincing leads right from the beginning
as the counting of votes for the by-polls held on August 21 was taken up
this morning and gradually increased the lead to unassailable levels.
Congress and JDS had fought bitterly in the run-up to the election, making it a no-holds-barred attack against each other.
BJP, which lost power in Assembly polls and does not count for much in the region, had backed JDS candidates in the two segments, which the Congress had dubbed "an unholy alliance."
Congress' D.K. Shivakumar is smiling as his brother's victory means his stars are shining bright. It is most likely he will be inducted into state cabinet.
An unhappy JD(S) candidate Puttaraju alleged unfair counting process even before the counting started, while Anitha Kumaraswamy had sought re-polling at Kanakapura.
However, in the end it is the number of votes that matters.
The Congress must congratulate itself for fielding actress Ramya, who defeated C.S. Puttaraju of JD(S) in Mandya.
The choice of Anitha, the wife of former CM Kumaraswamy, as its candidate in Rural Bangalore cost the JD(S) dearly as she had recently lost Channapatna assembly election. This time, she lost to D.K. Suresh, younger brother of Congress strongman D.K. Shivakumar.
Ramya, making her electoral debut, trounced Puttaraju by a margin of 67,611 votes, officials said. In Bangalore Rural, Suresh registered an impressive victory bagging the seat with a margin of around 1,37,000 votes against his opponent Anitha.
Not just the choice of candidate, but even the resentment among voters worked against JD(S). Both Bangalore Rural and Mandya Lok Sabha seats were dominated by Vokkaligas and were held by the JD(S).
The bypolls were necessitated after JD(S) state chief and former CM Kumaraswamy and another JD(S) MP Cheluvarayaswamy quit their Parliament seats in Bangalore Rural and Mandya respectively after they got elected to the state Assembly in May 2013.
Ramya's win could be partly attributed to the sympathy wave as she lost her foster father R.T. Narayan on the day of her nomination.
The Congress upperhand is a set-back for JD(S) and BJP which had entered into an alliance and were calling this election as a referendum to Siddaramaiah government's performance.
"The poll result is a clear indication that people are happy with Congress governance in the state," said chief minister Siddaramaiah.
The victory of Congress has not only established the power of Siddaramaiah in the state, but has strenghtend him for the general elections. On the other hand, it is a major embarrassment for JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda.
Congress and JDS had fought bitterly in the run-up to the election, making it a no-holds-barred attack against each other.
BJP, which lost power in Assembly polls and does not count for much in the region, had backed JDS candidates in the two segments, which the Congress had dubbed "an unholy alliance."
Congress' D.K. Shivakumar is smiling as his brother's victory means his stars are shining bright. It is most likely he will be inducted into state cabinet.
An unhappy JD(S) candidate Puttaraju alleged unfair counting process even before the counting started, while Anitha Kumaraswamy had sought re-polling at Kanakapura.
However, in the end it is the number of votes that matters.
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