Elections were held for three city corporations, 29 city municipal councils (CMC), 52 town municipal councils (TMC) and 20 town panchayats (TP).
In total Out of the 2,664 wards
Congress won 982 wards,
JD(S) won 375 wards.
BJP won 929 wards
The Congress gained an edge over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in closely fought elections to 105 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Karnataka, appearing set after Monday’s results to control a majority of the wards with its ruling coalition partner, the Janata Dal (Secular).
The polls were seen as the first test of popularity of the Congress-JD(S) government after the coalition came to power following a hung verdict in the state assembly elections in May. The BJP had emerged as the single largest party.
Of the 105 ULBs, the Congress won a clear majority in 37 ULBs, the BJP in 31 and the JD(S) in 12, according to the state election commission.
The Congress-JD(S) combine won majorities in 12 other ULBs, while 13 of them threw up hung mandates.
While Karnataka alliance partners Congress, JD(S) and Bahujan Samaj Party had decided to contest independently, former chief minister Siddaramaiah announced on Friday that the parties would form alliances in ULBs that produced hung verdicts.
The Congress performed well in its stronghold in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, where it won 13 of the 24 ULBs. In the Mumbai-Karnataka region, too, the Congress managed to pip the BJP, winning majorities in 18 of the 38 ULBs, against the BJP’s tally of 13.
The JD(S) swept the southern region, winning 12 of the 21 ULBs. It continued impressive performances in the districts of Hassan and Mandya, winning eight of the 10 ULBs.
The BJP’s state president, BS Yeddyurappa, hailed the party’s showing as impressive. “We have substantially increased our tally in hundreds of ULBs across the state. This is proof of the BJP continuing to enjoy the support and confidence of the people,” he said.
Yeddyurappa said the ULB polls will have no bearing on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “The outcome of this ULB elections is neither an indication nor trend-setter for the Lok Sabha elections. Parliamentary elections are fought on a different notes,” he said.
He also highlighted his party’s victory in the Shivamogga city corporation. In the three city corporations of Mysuru, Shivamogga and Tumakuru, the BJP performed the best, though it could only manage a majority in Shivamogga, its traditional stronghold.
Karnataka’s cooperation minister and JD(S) leader Bandeppa Kashempur said the results showed that the people were pleased with the ruling coalition. “The coalition government has won the confidence of the people of the state and it is for this reason that the JD(S) has won in many ULBs. This proves that ours is a secure government,” he said.
