The Congress on Wednesday won Jayanagar (a constituency in Bengaluru south ) Assembly constituency where elections were deferred last month following the death of a candidate days before the State election on May 12.
Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy, daughter of Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, won against BJP’s BN Prahlad Babu. Sowmya Reddy won by a wafer thin margin of 2,889 votes. The JD(S) had withdrawn its candidate by giving support to its coalition partner Congress which helped the Congress to win in the straight contest against the BJP.
Polling in this south Bengaluru Assembly constituency was held on Monday, almost a month after State elections which saw a coalition of the Congress and the JD(S) coming to power. The Congress now has 79 seats in the Karnataka Assembly.
BJP’s BN Vijayakumar, who was also the sitting MlA from the constituency died while campaigning few days before the election. BJP fielded his brother BN Prahlad Babu, against Congress party’s Sowmya Reddy. A total of 19 candidates contested.
Ramalinga Reddy said “I was a winner from Jayanagar four times previously and had shifted from the adjoining constituency to BTM layout, as it includes my home area. This time the party high command had given an opportunity to my daughter, I thank them. I had expected the victory margin to be a lot higher but I am not disappointed. It is a victory.” Ramalinga Reddy is one of the MlAs who is sulking for not getting a cabinet birth in the newly constituted coalition Government led by HD Kumaraswamy.
Voting was by and large peaceful and the Assembly segment recorded 55 per cent voter turnout. “We are pleased with the way the polls went off. Jayanagar doesn’t always put up a good show in terms of numbers, but this time a large number of people, who don’t usually vote, seem to have exercised their franchise,” said DB Natesh, assistant commissioner (elections), after voting concluded on Monday.
This is the second victory for the Congress after they have won Rajarajeshwari Nagara constituency in the triangular contest.
The narrow margin shows the JD(S) support to its collation partner Congress has helped to win this seat. This is according to political observers is a warning bell and a reminder that JD(S)— Congress combine can give a tough fight in the ensuing 2019 general elections. The two parties have said they will extend their partnership to the 2019 national elections. The win takes the Congress tally in the Assembly to 79 and that of the ruling coalition to 118 in the 224 member Assembly.
This is the first election that the Janata Dal Secular and Congress fought on the same side since they formed an alliance to take power in Karnataka.
The two had fielded candidates against each other, despite being coalition partners, in the recent election to the Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly seat in Bengaluru. The Congress candidate, Munirathna, won the seat, leaving the JD(S) a distant third behind the BJP. However S Prakash spokesperson of the BJP feels the coalition did not work here looking at the thin margin.