Saffron wave in K'taka! BJP wins 17 of 35 seats in Vijayapura civic body polls, becomes single-largest party

Bengaluru, November 01: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday won 17 of 35 seats in Karnataka's Vijayapura municipal elections emerging as the single largest party. The state's ruling party also fared well in the Kollegal city municipal by-election, winning six of the seven seats.

 

 

Karnataka's chief minister Basavaraj Bommai congratulated Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and party workers on an "unprecedented feat" in the municipal elections.

 

"By winning 17 seats out of 35 seats in the Vijayapura Municipal Corporation elections, our party has achieved an unprecedented feat. My heartiest congratulations to every member who ensured our victory. I thank from the bottom of my heart to the Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and dedicated party workers who toiled hard for the BJP," Bommai said.

 

According to election officials, the other parties' seat share in the Vijayapura Municipal Corporation elections was as follows: Congress won 10, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won two, and the Janata Dal (Secular) won only one seat. The other five seats were grabbed by the independent candidates.

 

 

 

Vijayapura held its first election after the city municipality was upgraded to a corporation and after a gap of six years, the city went to polls. The BJP in the corporation is confident of taking over the city with independent candidates' support.

 

In the Kollegal city municipal by-election, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 13 seats, followed by the Congress with 11 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with two, and independent candidates with four, totalling a 31-seat municipality.

 

The byelections in Kollegal, Chamarajanagar district, were called after seven Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) councillors defected to the BJP.

 

On the Kollegal bypoll results, the chief minister thanked MLA Mahesh, who was expelled for assisting the BJP to gain power in the state. Bommai also congratulated the candidates and party workers on their victory.