 "ULB poll result a big setback for BJP")
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power for the first time in South India in 2008, saw its worst electoral defeat in the just concluded urban local body (ULB) polls in Karnataka. This is a major setback for the party barely two months before the Assembly elections in May.
BJP was fighting large-scale elections for the first time without B S Yeddyurappa, who built the party in the state for the last forty years.
Yeddyurappa, who formed his own party - the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) - also could not make any big difference in the ULB polls.
The Congress won 1,960 wards out of 4,952 wards that went to polls. It emerged as the single largest party in 69 ULBs, which is more than double when compared to its victory in 33 ULBs in 2007.
The BJP, which had won in 1,180 wards in 2007, could manage to win in only 905 wards although it is in power this time compared to 2007 when it was just a coalition partner with the JD(S).
The voters trounced the BJP in its strong forts -- Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The party recorded its worst performance in these two coastal districts where it had been holding fort for many years.
BJP lost three out of four city corporations like Davanagere, Mangalore, Bellary to the Congress while in Hubli-Dharwad, it is short of majority. Incidentally, chief minister Jagadish Shettar hails from Hubli.
The party failed miserably in the mining district of Bellary, where it didnot win a single seat in the Bellary City Corporation, while the Congress took 26 seats. The powerful mining magnets, the Reddy brothers’ support is not with the party this time.
In the border district of Belgaum, none of the parties have won any seat, while the independents have managed to win all seats.
Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who came out of BJP and formed his own party, has not been able to make any big difference. He failed to even win in his home district of Shimoga. However, he managed to dent the prospects of BJP in many areas. His party, KJP, managed to win only 274 seats.
JD(S) remained the second largest party in the polls once again. Even in 2007, it had remained in the second position.
The fate of another state party floated by independent lawmaker B Sriramulu, a former BJP minister and an associate of jailed mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, was worse as it won 86 seats, drawing blank in its home turf -- Bellary in the northern region.
Independents scored big, bagging 778 seats while the Communist Part of India (Marxist) won 13. The rest were taken by other smaller parties.
Shettar claimed the results cannot be taken as a pointer to the outcome of the assembly poll due in two months. The Congress said the results showed that people had “rejected” the “corrupt” BJP rule and desire a change.
The JD(S) said its performance had disproved assertions by rivals that the party would be wiped out.
BJP was fighting large-scale elections for the first time without B S Yeddyurappa, who built the party in the state for the last forty years.
Yeddyurappa, who formed his own party - the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) - also could not make any big difference in the ULB polls.
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The elections for 207 urban local bodies that comprise of city corporations, city municipal councils (CMCs), town municipal councils (TMCs) and won panchayats (TPs) were held on March 7.
The Congress won 1,960 wards out of 4,952 wards that went to polls. It emerged as the single largest party in 69 ULBs, which is more than double when compared to its victory in 33 ULBs in 2007.
The BJP, which had won in 1,180 wards in 2007, could manage to win in only 905 wards although it is in power this time compared to 2007 when it was just a coalition partner with the JD(S).
The voters trounced the BJP in its strong forts -- Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The party recorded its worst performance in these two coastal districts where it had been holding fort for many years.
BJP lost three out of four city corporations like Davanagere, Mangalore, Bellary to the Congress while in Hubli-Dharwad, it is short of majority. Incidentally, chief minister Jagadish Shettar hails from Hubli.
The party failed miserably in the mining district of Bellary, where it didnot win a single seat in the Bellary City Corporation, while the Congress took 26 seats. The powerful mining magnets, the Reddy brothers’ support is not with the party this time.
In the border district of Belgaum, none of the parties have won any seat, while the independents have managed to win all seats.
Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who came out of BJP and formed his own party, has not been able to make any big difference. He failed to even win in his home district of Shimoga. However, he managed to dent the prospects of BJP in many areas. His party, KJP, managed to win only 274 seats.
JD(S) remained the second largest party in the polls once again. Even in 2007, it had remained in the second position.
The fate of another state party floated by independent lawmaker B Sriramulu, a former BJP minister and an associate of jailed mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, was worse as it won 86 seats, drawing blank in its home turf -- Bellary in the northern region.
Independents scored big, bagging 778 seats while the Communist Part of India (Marxist) won 13. The rest were taken by other smaller parties.
Shettar claimed the results cannot be taken as a pointer to the outcome of the assembly poll due in two months. The Congress said the results showed that people had “rejected” the “corrupt” BJP rule and desire a change.
The JD(S) said its performance had disproved assertions by rivals that the party would be wiped out.