Deepavali Bonus For Congress-HD Kumaraswamy, 4:1 Win In Karnataka | Read

The ruling Congress-Janata Dal Secular (JDS) alliance in Karnataka has won two assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats in bypolls that are expected to have an impact on opposition moves to forge a grand coalition to take on the BJP in next year's national election. The BJP has won only one parliamentary seat, Shivamogga, vacated by former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. The Congress has surged ahead in Ballari, a BJP stronghold since 2004. The ruling alliance has won the Mandya Lok Sabha seat and the assembly constituencies of Jamkhandi and Ramanagara. An upper hand in these by-elections will be seen as validation for the Congress-JD(S) coalition amid digs about its longevity from the BJP, which is still smarting at its failure to form a government despite winning the most number of seats in the May state elections.