The BJP is on the brink of registering its first victory in the K R Pet constituency of the Mandya district, thus breaching the Vokkaliga-dominated region that the JD(S) had made its bastion for a long time.
BJP’s candidate Narayana Gowda, a disqualified legislator, was leading by a margin of nearly 10,000 votes against JD(S) candidate B L Devaraj. In the May 2018 polls, the JD(S) had swept the Mandya district by winning all eight Assembly constituencies, which was seen as the result of the consolidation of the Vokkaliga votes.
Speaking to reporters, Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, who was in-charge of the KR constituency, said that the victory ensured representation for Mandya district in the state government.
Thanking the voters of the constituency, he said that win was only due to the relentless efforts of the BJP workers in the district. "The win will contribute towards ensuring further development in the district," he said.
BJP Yuva Morcha general secretary B Y Vijayendra, who was also an in-charge of the KR Pet segment, said that voters had heeded their request and voted for the BJP.
"Voters were convinced that electing someone from the party in power will aid their cause," he said, adding that the emotional factor that Yediyurappa was born in the constituency also helped. Vijayendra happens to be Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s son.
In another first, the BJP is also poised to win in Chikkaballapur. The party’s candidate Dr K Sudhakar, another disqualified MLA, is leading by over 25,000 votes against his nearest rival and Congress candidate Anjanappa. If Sudhakar goes on to win here, it will be a significant victory for the BJP that had a negligible vote share in the constituency for the last 63 years.