The Karnataka Legislative Council elections have given the Congress reason to celebrate while leaving the BJP and JD(S) with uncomfortable questions. Congress won five of the eight seats, but the bigger story is the allegation of cross-voting by opposition legislators. The results suggest that several BJP and JD(S) MLAs may have voted in favour of Congress candidates.
To secure victory for its five candidates, Congress needed 140 first-preference votes. However, when the votes were counted, the party's candidates had received a total of 151 first-preference votes. The unexpected surplus of 11 votes has fuelled speculation that legislators from the BJP and JD(S) crossed party lines during the election.
Since the voting was conducted through a secret ballot, it may take time for both parties to determine who voted against the official party line.
BJP and JD(S) try to assess the damage
Within the BJP, leaders believe that apart from expelled MLAs ST Somashekhar and Shivaram Hebbar, a few more legislators may have supported Congress candidates. Meanwhile, there is disagreement within the JD(S) over the scale of cross-voting.
While some BJP leaders suspect that several JD(S) MLAs switched sides, JD(S) leaders argue that their candidate, Govind Raju, secured 14 votes, indicating that only a handful of party legislators may have cross-voted.
Congress strengthens its position
Congress candidates Vinay Karthik, Tippannappa Kamakanur, BS Shivanna, BK Hariprasad and PV Mohan were all elected to the Legislative Council. With these victories, Congress has now strengthened its position in the 75-member Legislative Council, making it easier for the ruling party to push important legislation through the House.
Final vote tally
- Vinay Karthik (Congress) – 32 votes
- Tippannappa Kamakanur (Congress) – 30 votes
- B.S. Shivanna (Congress) – 30 votes
- B.K. Hariprasad (Congress) – 30 votes
- P.V. Mohan (Congress) – 29 votes
- Raghu Kautilya (BJP) – 29 votes
- Lingaraj Patil (BJP) – 27 votes
- Govind Raju (JD(S)) – 14 votes
Karnataka MLC election 2026
The Karnataka Legislative Council election witnessed a full turnout, with all 222 eligible legislators casting their votes. Voting was held on June 18 at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru from 9 am to 4 pm to elect members to seven vacant seats in the Upper House. A total of eight candidates contested the election, with each candidate needing at least 28 votes to secure a seat under the proportional representation system.
The election was conducted ahead of the retirement of seven sitting MLCs whose terms end on June 30. The retiring members include Congress leaders Govindaraju, Naseer Ahmed, Tippannappa and B.K. Hariprasad, along with BJP members MTB Nagaraj, Prathap Simha Nayak and Sunil Vallyapur.
Before the polls, Congress held four of the seven seats, while the BJP had two and the JD(S) held one. Following the latest results, Congress has further consolidated its strength in the Legislative Council, giving the ruling party a stronger position in the Upper House.
The election also carried significant political importance as it was seen as one of the first major political tests for the ruling Congress leadership in Karnataka and for Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who played a key role in managing the party's strategy during the contest.
Also Read: Congress dominates Karnataka Legislative Council polls, wins 5 of 7 seats; BJP secures 2
