BJP receives shot in the arm in municipal polls in Karnataka

PTI, Oct 31, 2022, 6:18 PM IST

PTI Photo

Bengaluru: The ruling BJP in poll-bound Karnataka received a shot in the arm as the party won 17 out of 35 seats in the Vijayapura municipal elections and emerged as the single largest party.

The party also performed well in the Kollegal city municipal council bypoll by winning six out of seven seats.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai congratulated Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and party workers for achieving an “unprecedented feat” in the municipal polls.

According to officials, the Congress won 10 seats, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) two, and the JD(S) one while five Independents also emerged victorious in Vijayapura (earlier known as Bijapur) in north Karnataka.

The municipal elections in Vijayapura and Kollegal were held on October 28 and the results were announced on Monday.

Polls were held in Vijayapura after a gap of six years and it was the first election since the city municipality was upgraded to a corporation.

Sources in the BJP said the party is confident of coming to power in Vijayapura with the support of independents.

The bypolls in Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district was necessitated after seven Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) councillors joined the BJP.

These seven councillors were the supporters of MLA N Mahesh, who was expelled from the BSP after he, along with a few others from the Congress and JD(S), helped the saffron party come to power in Karnataka.

Following the bypoll results, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 13 seats, Congress came second with 11 and BSP two while there are four independents in the 31-member Kollegal CMC.

Bommai said, “By winning 17 seats out of 35 seats in the Vijayapura Municipal Corporation elections, our party has achieved an unprecedented feat. My heartiest congratulations to every member who ensured our victory. I thank from the bottom of my heart the Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and dedicated party workers who toiled hard for the BJP.” Regarding the Kollegal bypoll results, the Chief Minister thanked the expelled BSP MLA Mahesh, the candidates, and the party workers for their victory.

Bommai also thanked the voters who liked the “policies and achievements” of the governing party.