Southern States - Karnataka   

Win due to good governance: Cong.

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIDAR March 1. Even as the victorious Congress candidate, Rajashekar Patil, attributed his victory to the development works being carried out by the Krishna Government, the defeated BJP candidate, Subash Kallur, termed the verdict "dhanadesha".

In his reaction, Mr. Patil said that by electing him, the people of Humnabad had reaffirmed their faith in the Congress party, which had put the State on the path of development.

He profusely thanked the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, the KPCC President, B. Janardhana Poojary, and senior ministers for camping here for several days to campaign for him.

He would try to speed up development works in the constituency, which had remained stagnant during the past three and a half years.

While accepting the people's verdict, Mr. Kallur, however, said money and muscle power used by the Congress leaders had played a key role in the success of their candidate. "Besides using government machinery, the ruling party spent money like water to woo the voters," he alleged.

But Mr. Kallur made it clear that he would not challenge the verdict in court. "Unlike the Congress leaders, I'll not try to create confusion among the people by challenging the verdict in court. I'll continue to serve the people and seek their blessings in the next election. Let people also know how he functions," he added.

The President of the JD(S) district unit, Amrit Chimkode, said even though the Congress candidate had won the seat, their candidate had improved his position compared to the previous election. He was of the view that factors such as the existence of a Congress government in the State, besides money power, played a pivotal role in the success of the Congress candidate.

The District Congress Committee President, Basavaraj Bulla, said the rejection of the BJP candidate by the voters proved they had rejected the divisive policies of the BJP. The result also proved that the people had total faith in the leadership of the Chief Minister as well as the KPCC President.

The former KPCC Secretary, Bandeppa Kashimpur, described the result as a milestone on the path of success achieved by the Congress in the district. "After the complete rout of the party in the last Assembly elections, the Congress has been doing very well in the district. It won most of the seats in the zilla panchayat as well as the taluk panchayats, and also in the city and town municipal councils. Now, the byelection result has come as a feather in the cap of the party," he observed.

The result had shown how the party would fare in the elections if all the leaders worked unitedly. "The result has come as a big boost to the morale of the partymen in the district and we have no doubt that we'll bag all the six Assembly seats and the lone Parliament seat in the district in the coming elections," Mr. Kashimpur said.

The Chairman of the Bidar Urban Development Authority, Muralidhar Ekalarkar, congratulated the Chief Minister, the KPCC President, and senior ministers for the Congress victory. "There was the apprehension that the backward class vote would not come to the Congress. But all communities, including the backward classes, have reposed faith in the Congress," he said.

Soon after the results were announced, Congress leaders took out a victory procession from BVB College where counting was held. The district in-charge minister, Basavaraj Patil Humnabad, Mr. Rajashekar Patil, Mr. Bulla, Mr. Kashimpur, B. Narayan, Mr. Ekalarkar, and others were part of the procession.

Despite the ban on processions, thousands of jubilant party workers joined the procession up to Basaveshwar Circle. However, prohibitory orders prevented processions from being taken out in Humnabad, Chitaguppa, and Mannakhelli.

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