Bangalore:
Despite an array of allegations of corruption against some of its senior-most members including the chief minister, the BJP has delivered strong results in the zilla panchayat elections in Karnataka.
The BJP won 12 of the 30 zilla panchayats while the Congress and JD(S) won four each.
The Chief Minister said the resulted should silence critics who believe the BJP appeals only to urban areas.
BS Yeddyurappa also pointed out that BJP's performance was much better than in 2005, when it won just one zilla panchayat as compared to Congress, which bagged only four panchayats as against 22 in the last election.
He said the BJP was confident of gaining control in at least three of the 10 Zilla Panchayats which have thrown up a fractured verdict, taking its total tally to 15.
But the vindication for the chief minister is bittersweet. The BJP won by just one seat in his home turf of Shimoga. And a hung verdict emerged in Bellary -the base of the mining empire of the Reddy brothers who are powerful members of his cabinet.
But there were some interesting results - the BJP won by just one seat in the CM's home turf of Shimoga. And in Bellary - the fiefdom of the Reddy brothers - it was a hung verdict.