BENGALURU (IANS) — Days after its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections in the state, the Congress on Friday bagged more seats in Karnataka’s 56 urban local body elections than the opposition BJP and its ruling coalition partner, the JD-S.
“Of the 1,221 wards in the city and town municipal councils and town panchayats, the Congress won 509 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party 366, the Janata Dal-Secular 174 and Independents 160,” Karnataka State Election Commissioner P.N. Srinivasachari told reporters here.
The remaining seats were won by the BSP 3, the CPI-ML 2 and others 7.
Polling was held on May 29 to 217 seats in seven City Municipal Councils, 714 seats in 30 Town Municipal Councils and 290 seats in 19 Town Panchayats.
Of the 1,361 seats in 63 civic bodies, elections were held in 1,221 seats in 56 spread over 20 of the 22 districts across the southern state. Polls were not held for 46 seats in Bangalore Rural and 94 in Shimoga in the Malnad region due to cases pertaining to the ULBs pending in these two districts.
Of the 217 seats in 7 city councils, the Congress won 90, the BJP 56, the JD-S 30, and Independents and others 41.
Of the 714 seats in 30 town councils, the Congress won 322, the BJP 184, the JD-S 102, and Independents and others 106.
Of the 290 seats in 19 two panchayats, the BJP won 126, the Congress 97, the JD-S 34, and Independents 33.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and JD-S faced rout, winning only one seat each while BJP won 25 seats and an Independent, backed by the BJP, won one seat.
The Congress had contested 21 seats and JD-S 7 under their pre-poll seat-sharing arrangement.
