BENGALURU: Congress leader Puttanna has been elected MLC from Bangalore Teachers Constituency for the fifth time by defeating AP Ranganath, who contested as an NDA candidate fielded by the BJP-JDS alliance. The results of the bypoll were announced on Tuesday.
Puttanna had won three times as a JDS and once as a BJP nominee. This time, he is elected as a Congress nominee. The bypoll was necessitated, after he quit as BJP MLC on March 16, 2023, to contest the May 10, 2023, Assembly polls on a Congress ticket. He lost to BJP leader Suresh Kumar in Rajajinagar Assembly constituency.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the election result showed that the voters have not accepted the BJP-JDS alliance. The CM also said Puttanna’s victory in the bypoll showed voters’ confidence in the government.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said Puttanna’s victory in the bypoll is just the beginning and the results indicate the mood among the voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Shivakumar said before the polls, the JDS and BJP leaders had described the MLC election as an indicator for the Lok Sabha polls and now the voters have given their verdict. Puttanna had won from the same seat as a BJP nominee, but the party had left the seat to JDS in this election, the DCM said.