Team Herald
PANJIM: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) blitzkrieg on diversion of Mhadei water and coupled with a series of election rallies and roadshows by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had no bearing on the Karnataka voters especially those in the Mhadei areas as Congress bagged 8 of the 12 seats.
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Of the seven seats in Hubbali-Dharwad district, Congress won four besides two in Gadag district and one each in Badami of Bagalkot district and Saundatti and Ramdurg in Belagavi district followed by BJP securing four, including three in Hubbali-Dharwad district.
Ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections, Shah had made a statement at a public rally at Belagavi in January that the Centre had resolved the long pending dispute between the two neighbouring States over Mhadei river by consulting Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, to quench the thirst of the people of Karnataka.
N H Konaraddi, a farmer, who has been spearheading the farmers’ agitation for diversion of Mhadei water, caused an upset when he defeated Minister for Textiles and Sugarcane Shankar Patil Munenakoppa in Navalgund constituency. In fact, Konaraddi, contesting on Congress ticket, wrested the seat.
In neighbouring Nargund constituency in Gadag district, C C Patil retained the seat for the BJP by a narrow margin defeating B R Javagal of Congress and Karnataka Raita Sena president Veerish Sobaradhmath.
Besides Navalgund, the Congress emerged winners in Dharwad, Hubbali-Dharwad (East), and Kalghatagi. In Dharwad, former Minister for Mines Vinay Kulkarni won despite being barred from entering the constituency by the Supreme Court as he is facing murder allegations.
One of the major upsets was the defeat of former Chief Minister Jadgadish Shettar in Hubbali-Dharwad (Central) constituency. Shettar had joined Congress after being denied a ticket by the BJP. He was defeated by his former close aide Mahesh Tingankai.
The Congress candidates also won in Ron constituency in Gadag district, Badami constituency in Bagalkot district and Savdatti and Ramdurg in Belagavi district where attempts are on to divert Mhadei water into the Malaprabha basin.
The BJP had the consolation of winning Hubbali-Dharwad (Central), Hubbali-Dharwad (West) and Kundgol and Nargund in Gadag district.
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BJP’s star campaigners CM Sawant, Rane fail to woo K’taka voters
PANJIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who were in the BJP’s list of star campaigners, failed to woo voters in Karnataka polls.
Sawant had said that he was given responsibilities of 14 out of 18 constituencies in Belagavi district while Rane had extensively campaigned in Haliyal constituency in Karwar district and parts of Uttara Kannada. But despite their campaign, Congress fared better as the campaign by Goa leaders lacked lustre.
In Haliyal constituency, incumbent Minister R V Deshpande won for the 10th consecutive term defeating Sunil Hegde of BJP. Rane had stated that the Karnataka election was a development against reverse gear but it failed to convince voters. He even spoke in Kannada during his campaign.
Sawant had participated in one of the roadshows in Belagavi district along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
But Congress won a maximum 11 out of 18 seats. In 2018 polls, the BJP had won 10 seats and its tally increased to 13 following ‘Operation Lotus’ when three Congress turncoats resigned and won by-elections on the BJP symbol a year later.
The Chief Minister had the mortification of seeing his wife and former BJP State Mahila Morcha president Sulakshana Sawant campaigning in Khanapur constituency where Vithal Halgekar of BJP defeated sitting Congress MLA Anjali Nimbalkar, by a big margin.
BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade had campaigned for party’s national general secretary and Goa in-charge C T Ravi in Chikmanglur. But the four-time MLA Ravi was defeated by his close aide H D Thammaiah of Congress.
BJP MLAs Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar and Ulhas Tuenkar had also campaigned in Karnataka, but failed to impress voters. However, Kumta BJP MLA Dinakar Shetty gave 50 per cent credit of his victory to Salkar and felicitated him.
