Karnataka bypolls: BJP wins 10 seats, leads on 2 others

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], Dec 9 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 10 Assembly constituencies and is leading on two out of total 15 seats that went to bypolls in Karnataka, according to the Election Commission (EC).
While BJP candidates have been declared as winners from the Yellapur, Ranibennur, Vijayanagara, Krishnarajapete and Chikkaballapur among other constituencies, its candidates are leading on two more seats.
Shivaram Hebbar of the BJP has won over Bhimanna Naik of the Congress by over 31 thousand votes on the Yellapur seat while K Sudhakar emerged victorious from the Chikkaballapur constituency beating Congress' M Anjanappa by over 34 thousand votes.
On the Vijayanagara seat too, Congress' VY Ghorpade lost to BJP's Anand Singh by upwards of 30 thousand votes.
BJP's Shrimant Balasaheb Patil trumped Congress candidate with over 18500 seats in Kagwad, Jarkiholi Ramesh Laxmanrao of the BJP defeated Congress' Lakhan Laxmanrao Jarkiholi with over 29000 votes on Gakok seat.
On Hirekerur seat, BJP candidate defeated BC Patil Bannikod Basappa of the Congress with a margin of over 29000 seats.
At Yeshvanthapura, ST Somashekar defeated Janata Dal (Secular) candidate TN Javarayi Gowda with over 27600 votes.
The BJP candidates are also maintaining a good lead in the Athani, K.R.Pura seats.
Congress'Rizwan Arshad is ahead by a margin of 14 thousand votes from the BJP candidate on the Shivajinagar seat.
One independent candidate, Sharath Kumar Bachegowda, is ahead by over 10 thousand votes from the Hosakote seat.
Surprisingly, no JD(S) candidates are leading on any of the seats that it had contested.
Soon after the trends, Karnataka Chief Minister had thanked the state voters for reposing their faith in the BJP and said that they would now continue to provide a "stable and pro-people government"in the state.
The elections were held for 15 Assembly seats which were left vacant after the legislators resigned in July, triggering the collapse of the Congress-JDS coalition and paving the way for the BJP to come to power. (ANI)