DK Shivakumar Vows Corrective Measures After NDA’s 4-0 MLC Sweep
He said the party would carefully assess the message conveyed by voters and work to correct its shortcomings
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday maintained that the ruling Congress party respectfully accepts the mandate delivered by the enlightened electorate.
He announced that the party will thoroughly review the results and institute corrective measures following the decisive 4-0 clean sweep by the BJP-JD(S) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections for Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies.
Speaking at a press conference, Shivakumar said the party expected to win one or two seats, but the results did not meet those expectations.
He said the party would carefully assess the message conveyed by voters and work to correct its shortcomings.
“Whatever decision the voters give in the Parishad elections, we will accept it with respect. We had one seat. We expected that even one or two seats we would win, but that didn’t happen. The people have given us a message. We will examine that message very carefully and think about it, and we will work on correcting whatever went wrong,” Shivakumar said.
The NDA secured all four seats across two Graduates' and two Teachers' constituencies spanning 19 districts, dealing a significant psychological blow to the ruling Congress administration in key regional belts.
Addressing BJP and JD(S) leaders who framed the result as a direct indicator for the upcoming 2028 Assembly elections, Shivakumar pushed back by recalling recent assembly by-election outcomes in constituencies like Channapatna and Shiggaon, questioning why the opposition overlooked those results when evaluating public sentiment.
"They are calling this a precursor to the next elections. Does that mean the by-elections in Channapatna and Shiggaon were also an indicator? The opposition should be speaking about those results as well," he noted.
The NDA alliance, made up of the BJP and JD(S) won all four seats (4-0) in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections.
These elections were held for two Teachers' and two Graduates' seats.Voting took place across 19 districts, covering nearly two-thirds of Karnataka.
This included the home districts of former CM Siddaramaiah and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Winning these seats gives the BJP-JD(S) alliance a strong message: that educated professionals, teachers, and young graduates support the NDA over the ruling D.K. Shivakumar government.
The NDA ran three BJP candidates and one JD(S) candidate. In Bengaluru Teachers, JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated five-time Congress MLC Puttanna.
In North-East Teachers, BJP candidate Shashil G. Namoshi won for the fifth time, defeating Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes (15,596 votes to 12,299).
Counting finished in Kalaburagi, where about 30,253 people voted. Of those votes, 28,380 were valid and 1,873 were rejected.
In the graduates' seats, BJP candidates S.V. Sankanur and K.M. Suresh also won, completing the NDA's total sweep of all four seats.
In the West Graduates' seat, Sankanur won for the third straight time, defeating Mohan Limbikai of the Congress.