By-Elections 2017: Karnataka Gives Congress First Win Of The Day

New Delhi: Karnataka offered the only consolation for the Congress in by-polls across eight states, with the BJP taking most of the 10 assembly seats. The Congress retained both the seats that voted on Sunday, Nanjangud and Gundlupet. The by-polls were a prestige battle for both the ruling party and the opposition BJP ahead of assembly polls next year.

"We bow our heads and accept the decision of the people," said the BJP's BS Yeddyurappa, conceding defeat as votes were counted on Thursday.  The former Chief Minister was hoping to wrest the seats from the Congress to strengthen his position before next year's election.

Nanjangud is in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's home district of Mysuru, right next to his constituency, and it was important for him to retain the seat, which was left vacant after his close aide V Srinivas Prasad quit the party after being dropped as a minister. Mr Srinivas Prasad contested in the seat as a BJP candidate.

The Congress's Kalale Keshavamurthy, who had contested the 2013 Assembly polls as a Janata Dal (S) candidate, won.

In Gundlupet, by-polls were held after the death of minister Mahadeva Prasad. His wife Gita Mahadeva Prasad has retained the seat for the Congress. The BJP candidate was CS Niranjan Kumar.

Mr Siddaramaiah, who faces dissidence within, needed this victory to tighten his grip over the party ahead of the state election. The Chief Minister had devoted the last eight days of the by-poll campaign crisscrossing both the constituencies.

Mr Yeddyurappa too had a point to prove and it was evident as the Lingayat strongman camped in the two constituencies for nearly a month of campaigning.