Congress candidate P Puttanna emerged victorious on Tuesday in the by-election held for Karnataka Legislative Council from Bangalore Teachers' Constituency. He secured a win over his closest rival AP Ranganath, a joint candidate of the BJP-JD(S) alliance, by a margin of 1,507 votes.
The defeat is perceived as a setback for the BJP-JD(S) coalition, marking their first electoral contest since the regional party joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September of the previous year. Discussions for seat sharing are ongoing as both parties prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Out of the 16,541 votes cast during the polls on February 16, Puttanna garnered 8,260 votes, while Ranganath received 6,753 votes. Additionally, 1,239 votes were rejected. A total of nine candidates participated in the election.
The by-election was necessitated by Puttanna's resignation from the Bangalore Teachers’ constituency as a BJP representative to contest the 2023 Assembly polls from the Rajajinagar constituency, where he was defeated by BJP's Suresh Kumar.
In response to the election outcome, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remarked that it indicates the public's rejection of the BJP-JD(S) alliance. He criticized JD(S) for its alignment with the BJP, stating that the move unmasked its secular facade and received a strong rebuke from the electorate.
Congratulating Puttanna on his victory, the Chief Minister attributed it to the nine months of pro-people governance under his administration, highlighting the electorate's trust in their government.
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