NDA sweeps Karnataka MLC polls as Congress loses the one seat it held

JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna in Bengaluru by 908 votes, the closest of the four contests. In the North-East Teachers’ constituency, BJP’s Shashil G Namoshi beat Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes. The BJP’s KM Suresh won the South-East Graduates’ seat by 23,098 votes, the largest margin. SV Sankanur retained the West Graduates’ constituency by 9,323 votes.

The margins point to a close fight in Bengaluru, a clearer BJP lead in the North-East, and a decisive win in the South-East Graduates’ seat. Politically, the alliance’s ability to win all four—after the BJP and JD(S) divided the seats between them—is a demonstration of coordination. The Bengaluru result is especially significant for the JD(S). Puttanna, a five-time MLC who first won the seat for the JD(S) in 2002 and later moved to the BJP, joined the Congress before the 2023 Assembly election. In the February 2024 bypoll that followed, he defeated Ranganath.

BJP state president BY Vijayendra said the Congress had expected a clean sweep. “They were under the impression that they were going to win all four MLC elections,” he told Open, adding that the result reflected dissatisfaction among voters as well as within the ruling party. This election, he said, had set the tone for the 2028 polls.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the Congress would accept the voters’ verdict, review the results and take corrective measures. The party had hoped to win two seats, he said, and he had not expected to lose Bengaluru. He rejected the BJP–JD(S) suggestion that the result presaged the 2028 Assembly election, citing Congress victories in the Channapatna and Shiggaon by-elections.

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy called the result a historic win and credited alliance unity. The result also offers Vijayendra a timely achievement as he seeks reappointment as Karnataka BJP president after his term comes to an end on 10 November. The party’s internal contest over its leadership has intensified. With factional questions about his leadership still unresolved, the result may help Vijayendra’s case even though the BJP only retained the three seats it already held. The headline 4–0 is more a demonstration of alliance management than a BJP breakthrough.

The JD(S)’s gain is more personal. Ranganath lost to Puttanna in the 2024 bypoll; this time he beat him by 908 votes, though Shivakumar campaigned for the Congress MLC.The JD(S), with BJP backing, has now taken the seat from the Congress, gaining a visible foothold in Bengaluru and evidence that its alliance with the BJP can deliver a seat against the state’s ruling party. It also strengthens the party’s hand as the partners look towards local polls and the 2028 Assembly election.

The Congress meanwhile must treat the result as a warning to rebuild its ground game and prepare for a more disciplined BJP–JD(S) alliance.