NDA wrests Bengaluru Teachers' seat from Congress, Kumaraswamy calls it historic

The Janata Dal (Secular) on Tuesday wrested the Bengaluru Teachers' Constituency in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections from the ruling Congress, with the NDA candidate AP Ranganath defeating sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes.Ranganath secured 10,810 votes, while Puttanna, who was seeking re-election, received 9,902 votes, according to a press release. The victory came as a test of coordination between the BJP and JD(S), which contested the election as allies.The JD(S) and BJP celebrated the result, with JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy calling the victory historic and linking it to the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections.In a post on X, the JD(S) congratulated Ranganath, describing the result as a "resounding victory to the voice of teachers". The party thanked teachers and professors in the constituency for placing their trust in the candidate and supporting what it described as the welfare of teachers and the upliftment of the education sector. The party also expressed gratitude to leaders, office-bearers and workers of both the BJP and JD(S), crediting their united campaign for the victory.Kumaraswamy said the result marked the defeat of what he described as “lies, misgovernance, money power and muscle power”. Congratulating Ranganath, the former Karnataka chief minister thanked workers of both alliance partners and teachers who, he alleged, had rejected inducements and the arrogance of power by casting their votes."This victory is historic," Kumaraswamy said, claiming that the result had demonstrated the strength of unity and alliance politics.He also linked the outcome to the next Karnataka Assembly elections, saying it provided a clear political mandate for 2028. Kumaraswamy asserted that the alliance would bring about a change in the state, invoking the upcoming Deepavali festival in his message.He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, whom he described as the motivating forces behind the alliance.Kumaraswamy also claimed that NDA candidates were certain to win the remaining three Legislative Council constituencies where counting was underway.Nikhil Kumar, the party's young wing president, in a post on X, targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over allegations concerning electoral processes, pointing out that the Bengaluru Teachers' Constituency election was conducted through paper ballots."No EVMs to blame, state machinery in your hands, and election conducted via paper ballots," he said, referring to the Congress government in Karnataka.He questioned what explanation the Congress would offer for the outcome, asking whether the party's response would be "Paper Chori".He also congratulated Ranganath and the leaders and workers of the BJP and JD(S) for the victory.The Bengaluru contest was significant because Puttanna had switched from the JD(S) to the Congress before the previous Assembly elections. Both Puttanna and Ranganath belong to the Vokkaliga community.The election was viewed as a test of whether the BJP and JD(S) could transfer their support to each other's candidates. The Congress, meanwhile, sought to retain its lone seat and make gains in the other constituencies.Congress leader DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president BK Hariprasad, ministers and senior party leaders had campaigned across the constituencies.- Ends