11 of 12 newly-elected MLAs to be made ministers: Yeddyurappa
A thumping victory in 12 out of 15 assembly seats has ensured that the BJP now has a majority in the Karnataka assembly.
All they needed was six seats to gain simple majority but the BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government set itself in cement after winning Athani, Kagwad, Gokak, Yellapur, Hirekerur, Ranibennur, Vijayanagara, Chikkaballapura, KR Puram, Yeshwanthpura, Mahalakshmi Layout and KR Pete assembly seats. They now have 117 members in the assembly.
11 disqualified MLAs of the Congress and JDS who contested these bypolls on a BJP ticket are now poised to be inducted as ministers in the BS Yediyurappa led BJP government.
Karnataka bypoll results HIGHLIGHTS | BJP wins 12 seats; Congress top leadership steps down
"11 out of the 12 newly-elected MLAs will be inducted as ministers. I had made a promise and I will keep it. No such promise was made to the Ranebennur candidate," said an elated BS Yediyurappa as trends turned favourable to his party. He can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Clinching KR Pete from the JDS perhaps will remain BJP's tallest achievement on Monday as it has now inroads into Mandya - a seat that has always eluded the saffron party.
Post the bypoll rout, Congress legislative chief Siddaramaiah as well as State Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao resigned from their respective posts.
The JDS was decimated on Monday when the party failed to pick up a single seat. The Congress, that was hoping to clinch at least seven seats has to console itself with just two seats of Hunsur and Shivajinagar.
Sharath Bachchegowda, son of BJP MP B N Bachchegowda who rebelled against the party to contest from Hoskote, is the only independent to have registered a victory in the bypolls.