Bangalore: In a mixed outcome for the ruling BJP in Karnataka, the party on Thursday wrested one seat from the Congress and lost another to JD(S) in the by-elections to Gulbarga South and Kadur Assembly constituencies.
In the prestigious by-elections held on September 13, BJP's YC Vishwanath, a medical practitioner, won by over 13,000 votes in Kadur, held earlier by the Congress.
But in Gulbarga South, BJP failed to retain its seat with JD(S) candidate Aruna Patil romping home by over 3,000 votes over Congress's Ajay Singh, son of former Chief Minister Dharam Singh.
The Congress suffered a double jolt as it not only lost Kadur but also its candidate Ajay Singh failed to taste success in elections for the second time despite Gulbarga being considered Dharam Singh's stronghold.
Congress had played for high stakes in Gulbarga, where Dharam Singh and Union Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge had campaigned extensively, and in Kadur, hoping to cash in on the success of its recent 302 km padayatra against BJP rule.
The two seats fell vacant following the deaths of BJP's Chandrasekhara Patil Revoor (Gulbarga South) and Congress' KM Krishnamurthy (Kadur).
Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa had himself campaigned for BJP candidate Sushil Namoshi, an MLC, but ended up conceding defeat to JD(S), which roped in the wife of late Revoor and successfully rode on sympathy wave.
In Kadur, Congress' KM Kemparaju, brother of Krishnamurthy failed to generate any sympathy wave. JD(S) nominee and party spokesperson Y S V Datta also failed in his second bid for the same seat.
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