BJP wins 12 of 15 seats in by-polls, Yediyurappa Govt retains majority
   Date :10-Dec-2019


BJP wins 12 of 15 seats i 
BENGALURU :
 
Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao quit their posts after the party posted a poor show H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) drew a blank in the polls 
 
THE ruling BJP swept the by-elections winning 12 of the total 15 seats, helping the four-month-old B S Yediyurappa Government to retain majority in the Assembly. Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and State Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao quit their posts after the party posted a poor show, winning only two seats, as against the 12 it had held of the 15 which went to the by-polls on December 5. Both tendered their resignations to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, “citing unsatisfactory results.”
 
The Congress managed to win only Hunasuru and Shivajinagar seats, while independent candidate Sharath Bachegowda, who was earlier expelled from the BJP for anti-party activities after he contested the by-poll as a rebel, won in Hoskote. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) that had won three seats in the previous election- K R Pete, Mahalakshmi Layout and Hunsur drew a blank. The bypolls were held to fill the vacancies caused by the disqualification of 17 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs, whose revolt led to the collapse of the 14-month-old H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition Government in July and paved the way for BJP to come to power. With BJP winning 12 of the 15 Assembly constituencies, the party’s numbers will go up from 105 (including an Independent) to 117, which is well ahead of the halfway mark of 111 in a 223-member Assembly (two seats-- Maski and R R Nagar-- are vacant due to pending litigation in the High Court).
 

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The BJP needed to win at least six of the 15 seats to remain in a majority. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had won the confidence motion on July 29 after the effective strength of the 225- member Assembly (including the Speaker who has a casting vote) came down to 208 and the majority mark to 105, equivalent of BJP’s current strength, following the disqualifications. As of now, the BJP has 105 MLAs (including an independent), the Congress 66 and the JD(S) 34. Besides, there is one BSP member, a nominated MLA and the Speaker. The results were in line with exit poll predictions by local news channels and agencies that had indicated a clear majority for BJP by winning 9-12 of the 15 seats.
 
BJP had fielded 13 of the 16 disqualified legislators, who joined the party after SC allowed them to contest the bypolls. Eleven of them have won. Will give stable, pro-devpt Govt, asserts Yediyurappa: JUBILANT after the BJP’s stellar performance in the by-elections, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday asserted that he would give a stable and pro-development Government for the next three-and-half years -- the remainder of his term.
 
“Voters have given their verdict and the results are out. Now we have to focus on the development of the State. I will give a good administration in the next three-and- half years with the help of our Ministers and MLAs,” an upbeat Chief Minister told reporters here. He sought the support of the Opposition to complete his term unhindered. The Opposition was trying to create confusion among people. I appeal to them that at least from now on give us their complete support,” Yediyurappa said. “We had given assurance to all the disqualified (Congress-JDS) MLAs that they will be made Ministers. Cong subverted mandate in K’taka; people taught it a lesson, says Modi: PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress and its allies of “stealing and subverting” people’s mandate in Karnataka, and asked voters to elect a stable BJP Government in Jharkhand with an absolute majority.
 
Cong subverted mandate in K’taka; people taught it a lesson: Modi
 
BARHI/BOKARO :
 
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress and its allies of “stealing and subverting” people’s mandate in Karnataka, and asked voters to elect a stable BJP Government in Jharkhand with an absolute majority. With the BJP posting an emphatic victory in Karnataka bypolls that put an end to speculation about the stability of the B S Yediyurappa Government, an exultant Modi told poll rallies in Jharkhand that voters had punished the Congress for “manipulating the mandate” that people had given to the saffron party.
 
“The Congress and its allies subverted the mandate in Karnataka, stabbed it in the back...The Congress stole the mandate through the back door, and now people have punished it and taught it a lesson,” he told an election rally in Barhi. Addressing another rally in Bokaro, the Prime Minister called the by-elections to 15 Assembly seats in Karnataka “extraordinary”, one which would decide whether the BJP Government would stay or go. “There are three messages for Jharkhand and other States in the by-poll outcome. The first is that people want a stable Government. Second, people feel insulted by subversion of their mandate and teach those guilty a lesson.
 
Third, they trust only BJP can give a Government that can deliver,” he said. “Public anger over betrayal of mandate exploded today. It is a victory of public mandate...A victory for democracy,” the Prime Minister said. Modi, who devoted a large part of his speeches in both Barhi and Bokaro on Karnataka by-poll outcome, said another reason for the Congress-JDS defeat was that its Government never cared for people’s welfare. He alleged that the two disparate parties had come together and formed the Government for self-interest. “They spent whole one year squabbling. Congress held the Chief Minister at gun-point and the poor CM would go to people crying. They (Congress) made the condition of the CM of Karnataka worse than somebody who has been kidnapped,” he said. Claiming that the Congress-JMM-RJD alliance in Jharkhand would plunge the State into “instability and uncertainty” if voted to power, Modi asked the electorate to defeat “each and every” candidate of the Opposition coalition.
 
He also accused the successive Congress and JMM Governments of patronising “loot of Jharkhand’s resources” and claimed the BJP dispensations at Centre and in the State made honest effort for people’s welfare. “They built their palaces on your coal, your mica, but removed the huts of the poor in villages and forced them to live in shanties in towns,” he said. Noting that peace, political stability and infrastructure were key to development and employment creation, the Prime Minister said the Congress-JMM coalition Governments disregarded these important issues. He said the State’s BJP dispensation had “almost rooted out” naxalism, which was an important hindrance to development. The Prime Minister asserted the electorate of Jharkhand had already laid the foundation of a robust victory for the BJP in the first two phases of polling. “The BJP Governments at the Centre and in Jharkhand share common thoughts and have common commitments.
 
Like guardians of young adults who are 19 years old, the age of Jharkhand State, you have to choose a Government that protects its interests,” he said. I thank people of Karnataka for placing their faith in BJP: Modi on by-poll results: With the BJP sweeping Assembly bypolls in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narensdra Modi on Monday thanked the people of the State for placing faith in the party. “Karnataka has voted for development and punished opportunism,” he said in a tweet. “I thank the people of Karnataka for placing their faith in @BJP4India. I congratulate CM @BSYBJP, team of Ministers in the state and the @BJP4Karnataka karyakartas (workers) for serving people with utmost diligence,” he said.
 
Will give stable, pro-development Govt, asserts Yediyurappa
 
BENGALURU :
 
JUBILANT after the BJP’s stellar performance in the by-elections, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday asserted that he would give a stable and pro-development Government for the next three-and-half years -- the remainder of his term. “Voters have given their verdict and the results are out. Now we have to focus on the development of the State. I will give a good administration in the next three-and- half years with the help of our Ministers and MLAs,” an upbeat Chief Minister told reporters here. He sought the support of the Opposition to complete his term unhindered. The Opposition was trying to create confusion among people. I appeal to them that at least from now on give us their complete support,” Yediyurappa said. “We had given assurance to all the disqualified (Congress-JDS) MLAs that they will be made Ministers. So there is no question of backtracking from what we promised them. We will make them Ministers and give them responsibility to grow our party base in their area,” he said. The BJP had fielded 13 disqualified MLAs as its candidates in the December five by-elections in 15 constituencies.