The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), together forming the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), have swept all four seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections, prompting the BJP to take a swipe at Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar with the remark, "DK, it's done, bro!"
The NDA won all four seats across two Graduates' and two Teachers' constituencies, dealing a setback to the ruling Congress. The elections were held on October 23, with ballot papers used for voting. The results were announced on Wednesday.
The BJP's Karnataka unit shared the remark in a post on X, declaring, "DK, it's done, bro! NDA sweeps 4/4 Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies in the MLC elections!" The party used the viral internet phrase to mock the Congress following its defeat in all four constituencies.
NDA wins three BJP-held seats and wrests one from Congress
The BJP retained three constituencies — North-East Teachers', South-East Graduates' and West Graduates' — while JD(S) won the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency, which was previously held by Congress.
The winning NDA candidates were A.P. Ranganath from Bengaluru Teachers', K.M. Suresh from South-East Graduates', S.V. Sankanur from West Graduates' and Shashil G. Namoshi from North-East Teachers'.
In Bengaluru, JD(S) candidate A.P. Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes. Namoshi secured his fifth victory from the North-East Teachers' constituency, which includes Kalaburagi, the home district of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
BJP leaders call result a setback for Congress
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa congratulated the four winning NDA candidates, describing their victory as a significant mandate from voters in the state's Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies.
JD(S) state youth president Nikhil Kumar also welcomed the result, calling it a "historic 4/4 clean sweep". He alleged that the Congress government had misused state machinery and said the outcome reflected the sentiment among educated voters.
Nikhil Kumar further described the alliance's performance as a "trailer" for the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections, signalling the NDA's intention to build on the result ahead of the next state polls. These were political assessments made by alliance leaders following the results.
DK Shivakumar says Congress will review results
Reacting to the defeat, DK Shivakumar said Congress had expected to win two seats. He said the party respected and accepted the voters' verdict and would review the results.
"We need to get our party workers ready and strengthen our organisation," Shivakumar said, according to media reports.
The elections covered 19 districts, spanning nearly two-thirds of Karnataka. Graduates' and Teachers' constituency polls have a restricted electorate, with only eligible registered graduates and teachers entitled to vote. Political parties often view the results as an indicator of sentiment among these sections, though the outcome does not by itself determine the result of the next Assembly election.
