Published Oct 28, 2026 | 5:38 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2026 | 5:38 PM
The BJP said the NDA’s victory in the four MLC seats was a “clear message” to the Congress ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
Synopsis: The BJP claimed that the NDA’s clean sweep of all four Karnataka MLC seats signalled voters’ dissatisfaction with the Congress government ahead of the 2028 polls. Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the people have sent the Congress a message, and the party will thoroughly examine the result to understand what went wrong and take corrective measures.
The BJP state office at Malleshwaram in Bengaluru wore a festive look after the NDA’s victory in all four Karnataka Legislative Council seats on Wednesday, 28 October.
The victorious candidates were AP Ranganath from the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency, Shashil G Namoshi from the North-East Teachers’ Constituency, KM Suresh from the South-East Graduates’ Constituency and SV Sankanur from the West Graduates’ Constituency.
Opposition Leader in the State Assembly R Ashoka said the NDA’s victory in the four MLC seats was a “clear message” to the Congress ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
“Out of four seats, we won three, and JD(S) won one. It is a great victory for the BJP and JD(S),” he said, adding that the results showed the NDA could win through both ballot paper and EVM voting.
“This is a clear bridge to 2028. The BJP is the only guarantee for the 2028 election,” Ashoka said, accusing the Congress government’s guarantee schemes of failing.
Also Read: Karnataka’s voter roll needed cleaning, but it shouldn’t have lost 37 lakh real voters
Former chief minister and veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said the results were significant because voting was conducted using ballot papers. He linked the outcome to repeated demands by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for ballot-paper voting.
“Now, in this MLC election, voting took place exclusively via ballot papers, and we won through ballot papers as well,” Yediyurappa said, arguing that the results offered a message to the Congress.
He also criticised the Congress government’s guarantee schemes, alleging that they had failed to deliver on their promises. “After all, all their free guarantees have entirely failed. BJP is the only guarantee for the 2028 elections,” said.
Chitradurga Lok Sabha MP Govind Karjol said the results reflected voter dissatisfaction with the Congress government. He described the outcome as a warning from teachers, graduates and educated voters, alleging that corruption and nepotism had affected the administration.
“Intelligent voters and educated citizens have completely rejected the administration of this government,” Karjol said.
He said the elections covered 19 districts and 133 Assembly constituencies across the four Legislative Council constituencies, claiming that the NDA’s victories reflected wider dissatisfaction with the state government.
Karjol also criticised Gandhi’s repeated questions about electronic voting machines and the Election Commission of India, accusing the Congress leadership of undermining electoral institutions. His remarks came amid the party’s broader criticism of Congress’s allegations about the electoral process.
The BJP leaders framed the results as a setback for the Congress government and sought to connect the Legislative Council outcome to the next Assembly election.
MLC Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said, “People are simply not voting for these thieves. What can we do about that?” dismissing the Congress’s allegations of vote theft following the NDA’s victory in all four Karnataka Legislative Council seats.
“What difference does it make whether it is a ballot paper or an EVM? The people will judge your worth,” he said, adding that “the people have now taught them a proper lesson.”
He also alleged that the Congress had tried to mislead voters, including members of the Dalit community, by portraying the BJP as anti-Dalit, opposed to the Constitution and against B R Ambedkar. Narayanaswamy further asserted that the election was not won through money power and said the Congress had failed to win even a single seat despite being in power.
Also Read: Congress loses all four seats as BJP-JD(S) alliance sweeps polls
Responding to the poll results, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the Congress accepted the voters’ verdict, adding that the party would analyse the results and take corrective measures.
“The people have sent us a message, and we will examine and study it thoroughly to understand what went wrong and what needs to be corrected,” Shivakumar said.
He said the Congress had expected to win two seats but fell short of its target. “We held one seat, and we had expected to win two seats. That expectation has not been fulfilled,” he said, adding that he was satisfied with the party’s vote share.
Shivakumar expressed surprise over the loss in Bengaluru. “I did not expect to lose the Bengaluru seat. We will review what happened there,” he said.
On the BJP’s claim that the results indicated a trend ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections, Shivakumar countered by citing Congress’s victories in the Channapatna and Shiggaon bypolls.
“But what about Channapatna and Shiggaon? What do those results indicate? Shouldn’t those also be taken into account?” he asked.
He said the party would draw lessons from the results and work on strengthening its organisation and preparing its workers better..
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
