Bengaluru: In a shot in the arm for JD(S), the party managed to wrest the South-East Teachers’ seat which was held by BJP in the Council. The bypoll to the seat became necessary after BJP member Y.A. Narayanaswamy resigned following his election to the Assembly from Hebbal.
JD (S) candidate Ramesh Babu defeated his nearest rival, P.R. Basavaraju (Pepsi) of BJP by a margin of 3815 votes.While Mr Basavaraju got 6199 votes, the winning candidate, Ramesh Babu got 10,014 votes. Mr Babu who maintained the lead from the first round of counting of votes, managed to increase the lead during the counting of second preference votes.
With JD (S) winning the seat, there is a fresh wave of enthusiasm in the party cadre over its prospects in the next Assembly elections. Reacting to the poll verdict, party supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda congratulated Mr Babu and said, "It is a good sign that educated voters have started reposing confidence in JD (S). Babu has proved that a candidate who does not have financial resources can also win polls."
Mr Babu, while acknowledging the victory, said, “The verdict shows that people are ready to reject the two national parties. It indicates that voters want the regional party to protect water, land and the language of Kannadigas. This is a clear indication of what can happen in the next Assembly polls.”
