Southern comfort for BJP

Contrary to popular projections for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections,the BJP got 19 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka,adding one more seat to its 2004 tally.

The Congress dropped two seats over 2004 and finished with six while the Janata Dal (Secular) gained one seat to finish with a total of three. Despite thumping victories for H D Deve Gowda in Hassana 2.9 lakh margin that is the highest in these polls for Karnataka,and H D Kumaraswamy in Bangalore ruralwith a 1.3 lakh margin,the JD(S) remained confined to the southern part of the state.

The victory gives us more responsibility. In 2004 we won 18 seats but were reduced to 16 after Bangarappa quit and Veerappas death, said Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. The BJP gained complete control over the Bangalore region for the second time,bagging the three urban seats of North,South and Central. In Bangalore North former Congress minister D B Chandregowda who joined the BJP on the eve of the elections trumped veteran Congressman C K Jaffer Sharief by 59,650 votes. In the much watched battle for Bangalore South,senior BJP leader H N Ananth Kumar managed to hold onto the seat for the fifth successive time. Aviation entrepreneur Captain G R Gopinath who had attempted to galvanise urban voters lost his deposit while finishing fourth. Former police officer and former BJP MP from Bangalore H T Sangliana who switched to the Congress after voting in favor of the UPA government during the trust vote over the Indo US nuclear deal in July 2008,was defeated by the BJPs P C Mohan in Bangalore Central.

The BJP also continues to hold sway over the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada,Uttar Kannada and Udupi Chikamagalur. Church attacks and the attack on women at a pub in Mangalore did not affect Dakshina Kannadas preference for the BJP with the partys first time candidate Naleen Kumar Kateel defeating Congress veteran B Janardhan Poojary. The party also virtually swamped the northern Karnataka districts.The one region where the BJP has lost ground in Karnataka is in the southern districts.

Statement

Karnataka

 BJP wins 19 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka

 H D Deve Gowda wins by over 2.9 lakh votes in Hassan

 Aviation entrepreneur Captain G R Gopinath lost his deposit,polling only 16,383 votes