Bengaluru, November 6: After the Congress-JDS alliance won four out of five seats that went to bypolls in Karnataka, Congress called the outcome a ‘teaser’ for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While there were celebrations seen in Congress-JDS camp, BJP’s state chief BS Yeddyurappa, who is in Shivamogga, refused to meet party workers and leaders after election results. After celebrating the sweeping victory of the Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state, the Congress party took to Twitter and said, “The sweeping victory of the Congress - JD(S) alliance in the Karnataka Bypolls is just a teaser for what is in store for the BJP next year. Congratulations to all the winners”. Karnataka Bypolls: Voting Concludes, Bellary Records Highest Turnout.

The Congress-JD(S) alliance won the Bellary, Mandya, Ramanagaram and Jamkhandi, while BJP won only the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat. Congress’ VS Ugrappa won the Lok Sabha seat of Bellari while its other candidate Anand Siddu won the Assembly seat from Jamakhandi. Meanwhile, Shivarame Gowda of JD(S) won the Mandya Lok Sabha seat while Anitha Kumaraswamy, wife of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, won the Ramanagara Assembly seat. For BJP, it was BY Raghavendra who won the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat. On the whole, the alliance candidates won Jamkhandi and Ramanagar assembly seats and Ballari, Mandya parliamentary seats.

JD(S) celebrates victory:

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda thanked people of the state for supporting the development-centric administration of Congress-JDS in the state. Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy congratulated Congress and JD(S) workers. “I also congratulate JDS state leaders & workers who worked towards this win. BJP calls JDS-Congress coalition 'Apavitra Maitri', today that contention has been nullified”, the Chief Minister said.

Kumaraswamy said this election was the first step and there are 28 Lok Sabha seats for which the party will work together with Congress to win all of them. “This is not an empty boast just because we have won today. This is the confidence of people in us. This win is not making us arrogant”, he added.

Kumaraswamy also accused BJP of horsetrading and said that the saffron party is offering around Rs 25-30 Crore to some Congress and JD(S) MLAs but they will never be able to poach them.

An estimated 67 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the bypolls for five constituencies. Total 31 candidates were in the fray from all the five constituencies, though the contest was mainly between the Congress-JD(S) combine and the BJP. In May, Yeddyurappa and Sriramulu of the BJP and C S Puttaraju of the JD(S) vacated Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya following their election to the assembly in May.

In the 2014 elections, the BJP had won 17 of Karnataka's 28 parliamentary seats while Congress won 9 and HD Kumaraswamy's JD (S) had won 2 seats. The BJP won 104 of the 224 seats in the assembly election in May.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 06, 2018 03:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).