Date:02/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/02/stories/2006060221210100.htm

Front Page

Morale-boosting victory for Congress in Council election

Special Correspondent

Janata Dal (S) pipped at the post; rebels support Sudarshan

BANGALORE: The Congress snatched a morale-boosting victory over the Janata Dal (Secular) in the biennial elections to the Legislative Council with the incumbent Chairman of the House, V.R. Sudarshan, registering a victory with the apparent support of Janata Dal (S) rebels.

In the elections from the State Assembly held on Thursday, BJP candidates Thontadharya, Janardhana Reddy, D.S. Veeraiah and Vimala Gowda, a sitting member of the Council; Congress candidates Motamma, K.C. Kondaiah and Quazi Ershad Ali, both MLCs, and Mr. Sudarshan; and Janata Dal (S) candidates Abdul Azeem, Chikkamadu and H.C. Neeravari were elected.

Rebels come in handy

The nine votes of the Janata Dal (S) rebels, counting on which the Congress fielded a fourth candidate in Mr. Sudarshan, enabled the party to register the victory.

The elections also served to indicate that the Janata Dal (S) and the BJP do not enjoy any understanding when it comes to elections, irrespective of the fact that they are together in running the Government.

The BJP stayed clear of even extending the second preference votes to the Janata Dal (S) candidates, resulting in the fourth candidate of the Janata Dal (S) and former Minister, K. Amarnath Shetty, losing the elections. Strangely, the BJP, which had adequate number of votes to enable a smooth victory for all its four candidates, also faced rough weather with one of its candidates, Ms. Vimala Gowda, having to depend on second preference votes.

While each candidate had to secure 18.61 votes for success in the first round of counting, the BJP candidate scored 18 votes indicating that not all the votes earmarked for her had been cast in her favour.

`Anxiety round'

In the first round of counting, three candidates of the three parties were elected. Those pushed to the anxiety round were Ms. Vimala Gowda, Mr. Sudarshana and Mr. Amarnath Shetty. Mr. Sudarshan polled 19.60 votes with 3.60 votes drawn from the second preference votes and was declared winner.

Subsequently, Ms. Vimala Gowda followed with 3.20 votes transferred after a count of the second preference votes.

No counting

There was no counting of the second preference votes for Mr. Amarnath Shetty since the first three Janata Dal (S) candidates had polled only 19 votes each compared with the 20 votes polled by three candidates of the Congress and two of the BJP.

The greater number of first preference votes by the Congress and BJP candidates resulted in the transfer of second preference to their fourth candidates.

What, however, resulted in the defeat of Mr. Amarnath Shetty was the fact that none of the BJP legislators cast their second preference votes in his favour.

`A mistake'

The Janata Dal (S) acknowledged that it was a mistake on its part not to have sought the second preference votes of the BJP members.