Karnataka bypoll results show how much country trusts BJP: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Karnataka bypoll results and said that the people have strengthened a strong and stable government.

“Today, the people of Kartnataka have ensured that Congress and JD(S) won’t be able to btray them. There won’t be any stop-gap arrangement leading to an unstable government, the people have strengthened a strong and stable government,” the Prime Minister said at a rally in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh as quoted by news agency ANI.

“What the country thinks about political stability and for political stability how much the country trusts BJP, an example of that is in front of us today. I express my gratitude towards people of Karnataka,” he added.

The BJP gave a stunning performance in Karnataka as election results began trickling in by retaining the government in the state. The BJP not only won 10 of the 15 seats where elections were held, it also made a dent in the stronghold of Janata Dal (Secular) by winning K R Pete seat. BJP candidate Narayana Gowda pulled off an upset victory against JD(S) candidate Devraj in a constituency that is considered as a fortress of JD(S).

This is the first time that BJP has won a seat in the heartland of Vokkaligas, a community which has traditionally supported the JD(S); former chief minister HD Kumarawamy is a Vokkaliga.

“Voters have blessed us in 12 of the 15 seats. We have won because of the efforts of party workers and our leaders. I would like to thank our national leaders - Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah,” Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said.

“The victory is sweeter as my father native place Bookanakere is in the constituency,” Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra said.

The bypolls were necessitated because of the resignation of 17 legislators from the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in July. These MLAs had joined the saffron fold and the BJP fielded 16 of them in Thursday’s bypolls.

The BJP needed to win six of the 15 seats on which the elections were held. After the disqualification of the MLAs by the Supreme Court for joining the BJP, the strength of the house was reduced to 208. The halfway mark too was revised to 105 - the number which the BJP had.

After the bypolls, the strength of the state Assembly went up to 224, and the halfway mark revised to 112. Now the party seems to have secured that number.