Bengaluru: Despite losing the prestigious Jayanagar Assembly seat, the BJP is said to be satisfied with its performance with its candidate B.N. Pralhad, a newcomer to the political arena, who gave a tough fight to the Congress.
However, the saffron party is unhappy with JD(S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda who got his party candidate to retire from the fray just a few days before the polling on June 11, following a request from former minister and BTM Layout seat MLA R Ramalinga Reddy to ensure the victory of his daughter. This naturally paved the way for a direct fight between Congress and BJP.
"It's dirty politics played by Mr Gowda to please the coalition partner-Congress and to prevent the BJP from retaining this seat. Had there been a triangular
fight, BJP nominee Mr B.N. Prahlad would have won easily. By doing this, the JD(S) supremo has proved once again that he is ready to do anything for the sake of his family".
Mr Prakash, BJP spokesperson told Deccan Chronicle that BJP securing 51,568 votes was an endorsement of the good deeds done by late MLA B.N. Vijaykumar who died a few days before the Assembly polls. Besides, the Congress party used its money and muscle power to woo the voters of Jayanagar, he claimed.
According to Mr Prakash, the low voting percentage in some booths is also a reason for Mr Prahlad's defeat. Had the voting percentage touched 60-65 per cent, the BJP would have definitely won the election. Unfortunately, only 55 per cent of the electorate voted.
Besides, the BJP did not get as many votes as expected in some booths due to non-cooperation from local BBMP corporators who were in the race for the MLA ticket. The election result has made it necessary for the party to introspect on what really went wrong and this would be addressed in the coming days. It is only a temporary setback and the BJP will bounce back, he asserted.
Reacting to his daughter's victory, former home minister Mr Ramalinga Reddy profusely thanked Mr Deve Gowda for readily agreeing to direct his party party candidate, Mr Kale Gowda to retire from the fray to help Ms Soumya's victory. He said he had expected his daughter to romp home because of his old connection with the constituency which he had represented five times. People who had seen his work an MLA had voted for Ms Soumya.
The BJP's efforts to retain the constituency by playing the sympathy card did not work. Ultimately, it was a victory for his hard work and the affection of the constituency’s voters for him, Mr Reddy added.
