Congress gives BJP a bloody nose in Karnataka

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Bengaluru: Ahead of the crucial Assembly elections, Congress put up an impressive show in the urban local bodies (ULB) elections held on March 7, by wresting 1,959 seats out of a total 4,952 seats. Congress held the highest number of seats, improving its 2007 tally by increasing its seat share from 32 per cent to 39.5 per cent, leaving both the ruling BJP and the JD(S) behind.
While, the ruling BJP got 905 and JD(S) bagged 905 seats, (600 less than 2007), the entry of new parties like Karnataka Janatha Paksha led by B.S. Yeddyurappa and B. Sreeramulu’s BSR Congress divided the votes in the traditional bastions of all three parties particularly the BJP's.
Interestingly, the multi-cornered contest saw 778 independents emerge as winners, who will now play a decisive role in ULBs, and possibly contribute to a fractured verdict in forthcoming assembly polls.
For the Congress, the victory is special as the party managed to wrest urban local bodies in the coastal districts and up north from the BJP, making inroads in the Lingayat heartland, hitherto with the BJP. The Congress captured power in four of the seven city corporations, while the ruling party managed to get more seats than its rivals in Hubli-Dharwad.
In bad times, BJP chief dials BSY
Capping day long speculation that the BJP, battered in the Urban Local Body elections, after its former mascot B.S. Yeddyurappa ate into the party's vote share, would seek to mend fences with the former chief minister before going back to the people again, party national president Rajnath Singh reached out to the Lingayat strongman on Monday evening.
Sources close to former CM confirmed that Singh telephoned BSY after the KJP’s dry run in the ULB polls. While it would be premature to expect the BJP to realign with the ex-CM before upcoming Assembly polls, the party is assessing whether BSY should be brought back before Parliamentary polls.
The party central leadership’s assessment is that BSY’s departure has left a huge dent, and BSY has also not gained.
BSY’s trusted loyalist had met Rajnath Singh in Delhi last week.