BJP-JD(S) Alliance Wins Bengaluru Teachers' Constituency in Karnataka Legislative Council Election

BENGALURU: The BJP-JD(S) alliance on Tuesday wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency in the Karnataka Legislative Council election from the Congress, with JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath defeating five-time winner Puttanna by a margin of 908 votes. The defeat is a setback for the Congress and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who had campaigned for the party’s candidate. Ranganath secured 10,810 first-preference votes against Puttanna’s 9,902, as the results were announced by Bengaluru Regional Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas, the returning officer for the election. The constituency had been represented by Puttanna for five terms, making the outcome a significant setback for the Congress in a closely contested election. The result also drew attention to the BJP-JD(S) alliance’s ability to consolidate support in the teachers’ constituency. Of the 22,913 votes counted, 21,056 were declared valid and 1,857 were rejected. Independent candidate Umesh Babu Pillegowda secured 215 votes, while Karnataka Rashtra Samithi candidate Dr G R Hebbur polled 94. Independent candidates Dr N Lakshmana Swamy and B S Nagaraju secured 24 and 11 votes, respectively. Polling in the constituency was held on October 23, with 22,468 of the 27,405 registered voters exercising their franchise, recording a turnout of 81.98%. Women accounted for 14,108 voters and men for 8,360. The outcome comes amid political tensions within the Congress, with former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his associates, including former minister H C Mahadevappa, reportedly staying away from campaigning in the Council elections. Their absence has drawn attention against the backdrop of the political differences between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, though the extent to which it influenced the result remains unclear.