Cakewalk for BJP candidate in bypoll to legislative council

Karnataka Deputy Chief

Minister Laxman Savadi, who was BJP candidate, has been declared elected to the state Legislative Council after bypoll for one MLC seat was held on Monday, officials said.

While Savadi got 113 votes, his opponent B R Anil Kumar, who had announced his retirement from the contest at the last moment, did not get any vote.

Kumar, a Congressman, who had filed his nomination with the support of JD(S) leaders as an independent candidate, had on Saturday announced his decision to "retire" from the contest.

Despite Kumars pulling away from the contest, election was held as he did not withdraw his nomination before the scheduled date of February 10, and the contestants names were already gazetted.

 

Congress which had not fielded any candidate for the bypoll did not take part in the voting, so did JD(S) after Kumar pulling away from the contest.

However, senior JD(S) legislator G T Devegowda, who has several times in the recent past openly expressed his differences with party leadership, allegedly voted in favour of Savadi, despite legislature party meeting's decision not to take part in the voting.

G T Devegowda said, I have voted, cant say who I have vote for.

Reacting to this, JD(S) floor leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said, "The door was open for him to go wherever he wants, lets see where he goes."

Why should I expel (G T Devegowda), he can go wherever he wants, door is open. Why discuss about him... why did we call JDLP meeting? Despite him getting message about the meeting, instead of attending it, he was with another legislature party leader discussing on various things, and voted in favour of the Minister, he added.

The bypolls was necessitated, with a seat falling vacant, following the election of one of the council member Rizwan Arshad of Congress to legislative assembly, during the December bypoll.

This MLC bypoll was crucial for Savadi, who was not the member of assembly or council.

He could have only continued in office as non- legislator Minister for six months, and that tenure was to end on February 19.

Thanking BJP leadership, Savadi expressed his gratitude to BJP MLAs, independents and other party legislators who voted in his favour.

This win has given me boost to work for the party and the government with honesty, he added.

Savadi who had lost from Athani in 2018 assembly polls, had sulked after being denied ticket to contest from there in December bypolls, as BJP as per the agreement fielded Mahesh Kumthalli, who defected from Congress in favour of the party and faced disqualification.

The party then assured him an MLC seat and promised that he continue as deputy chief minister, after which he worked for Kumthallis victory in the bypoll.