Mixed bag for Congress and BJP in council elections from North Karnataka

HUBLI: Elections to the state legislative council from two seats in North Karnataka has come as a mixed bag for the Congress and BJP with each winning a seat each. While in North east teachers constituency (Gulbarga) Congress candidate Sharnappa Mattur defeated his nearest BJP rival Shashil Namoshi, where as in West graduates constituency ( Hubli) BJP candidate S V Sankanur defeated his nearest rival JDS’s Vasanth Horatti son of former minister and sitting JDS MLC Basawaraj Horatti.
While for the ruling Congress, winning of North east teachers constituency has come as a big surprise for it being a maiden victory for it in this constituency as seat was held by either BJP or the earstwhile Janata Party. Even in pre-Janata Party era, either the independent or Congress( O) supported independent candidate won this seat making victory a distant dream for Congress in this constituency. In this election with the BJP fielding its sitting member Shashil Namoshi who also heads a chain of educational institutions in the region and JDS fielding a college lecture , even Congress leaders themselves were reluctant to guess the victory of their candidate.
But today’s result has left perplexed BJP leaders rather than Congress as even in their dream also BJP leaders never imagined that their candidate will lose the elections. This victory will be a moral booster for the Congress leaders from the state who are yet to recover from the shock of losing the Lok sabha elections.
However the defeat of Congress candidate in West graduates constituency is not a surprise for the leaders and party workers. But it is being read as a defeat for the Congress strong man and minister H K Patil who won this seat four times before he lost it to BJP in the 2008 elections. H K Patil held the seat for four consecutive terms. This time he selected his own crony P H Nerlakeri, but he finished poor third in the race with JDS candidate Vasanth Horati finishing second behind the victorious BJP candidate.
But Congress leaders from Hubli place the blame on the minister for the loss as they strongly suspect H K Patil’s seriousness in the elections because of he being a good. friend of Basawaraj Horatti who fought the elections in the past with a mutual understanding .
“ It is open secret in political circles that Horatti supported Patil in the west graduates constituency and in reciprocal Patil supported Horatti in teachers constituency” a Congress leader alleged recalling how they worked in tandem in the elections to West graduates and teachers constituencies. “ Both leaders never cared for their parties and their individual interests were of paramount importance to them than the party interests,” Congress leader said, pointing at allegations made by Salim Ahmed and G S Patil who blamed H K Patil for the defeat of Salim Ahmed in Haveri lok sabha seat.