As Congress emerged as the leading party cruising past 120 seats by noon in the closely-watched Assembly elections, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat saying that his party had not been able to make the mark and would conduct a detailed analysis once the full results were in. However, the incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Mr. Bommai won his constituency Shiggaon by 54.95% of the vote, securing a fourth consecutive term in the seat.
Also read: Karnataka election results live
Here’s a look at how other Ministers in the BJP’s incumbent Karnataka Cabinet are faring in the polls with some results declared and others in progress as of 3:30 pm-
V. Somanna, Housing Minister
Constituency; Varuna
The Varuna constituency in Mysore district witnessed a key battle between BJP’s Housing Minister and Lingayat community leader V. Somanna, and Congress stalwart and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The BJP Minister as per Election Commission (EC) trends at 12.40 pm had secured 26,049 votes and was trailing behind Mr. Siddaramaiah, who won from the constituency in 2008 and 2013. As results were declared for the seat, Mr. Somanna lost to the former CM by a margin of over 46,000 votes. In the 2018 Karnataka polls, the saffron party’s Lingayat strongman won the Govindarajanagar in Bengaluru, where he has a foothold.
Ahead of the polls, he had accused rival Mr. Siddaramaiah of neglecting the Varuna constituency, saying that he had taken up several developmental works including opening of hospitals, and colleges and providing drinking water besides ensuring cleanliness and peace in Govindarajanagar Assembly segment that he had represented.
B. Sriramulu, Transport Minister
Constituency: Ballari rural
In the Ballari rural constituency, Transport and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu lost the seat to Congress candidate B. Nagendra. After the 17th round of counting, he was trailing with 72,866 votes. Congress candidate B. Nagendra was leading with 1,01,718 votes - an impressive margin of 28,852 votes. Ahead of the polls, he has said that he may be the Chief Ministerial candidate in the future if the party decides so, adding that the era of demanding Deputy Chief Minister’s post for himself had already passed. Ballari has been the stronghold of former BJP Minister and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, who is Mr. Sriramulu mentor. Mr. Reddy, who has been involved in a case related to mining, has been barred by the Supreme Court from entering Ballari and had launched his own party Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) last year.
Munirathna, Planing and Horticulture Minister
Constituency: Rajarajeshwarinagar
State Cabinet Minister Munirathna was initially trailing behind Congress’ candidate H. Kusuma in Rajarajeshwari Nagar but eventually won the seat. In the last two elections (2013 and 2018), the incumbent MLA and Minister in the State cabinet won as a candidate from the Congress. However, in 2019, Munirathna shifted his loyalty to BJP with 16 other MLAs of Congress and JD(S), resulting in the fall of the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led JD(S) and Congress coalition government.
Also read: Will Munirathna dodge controversies to register another victory in Rajarajeshwarinagar?
In 2020, the constituency went for byelections and Munirathna, who contested from the BJP ticket, defeated Kusuma H. from Congress with a margin of over 50,000 votes. Subsequently, in 2021 he became a Minister in the cabinet of the Basavaraj Bommai government.
Munirathna, a film producer-turned-politician, was embroiled in several controversies in the past. In 2018, police filed an FIR against him and several others following the seizures of thousands of voter IDs in the apartment.
V. Sunil Kumar, Energy and Culture Minister
Constituency: Karkala
Minister for Energy, Kannada and Culture and the BJP candidate for Karkala Assembly constituency V. Sunil Kumar was leading by a margin of 4,602 votes against Congress candidate Udaya Shetty Muniyal. Eventually managing to win the seat, Mr. Kumar will now embark on his fifth term. In Karkala Assembly constituency, he won in 2004, 2013, and in 2018.
R. Ashoka, Revenue Minister
Constituency: Padmanabanagar, Kanakapura
BJP leader and Revenue Minister R. Ashoka contested from two constituencies- Padmanabanagar and Kanakapura.
In Kanakapura, he was only able to secure about 10% of the vote as against Congress stalwart D.K. Shivkumar who was the leading candidate and eventually bagged the seat. In Padmanabanagar, meanwhile, the BJP Minister won the seat and was leading by a margin of 46,718 votes as Congress’ V. Raghunatha Naidu trailed. While the incumbent CM Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat in the state today, Mr. Ashoka had said ahead of the polls that the BJP would form a government even if the result was a hung assembly.
Araga Jnanendra, Home Minister
Constituency: Tirthahalli
State Home Minister and BJP leader Araga Jnanendra was leading by a margin of over 12,000 votes and a vote share of 52.28% in the Tirthahalli constituency at noon and managed to bag the seat against Congress candidate Kimmane Ratnakar is trailing. This would be Mr. Jnanendra’s second term in a row from Tirthahalli. He had lost the election in 2013. The 68-year-old Vokkaliga leader from the RSS stables, though began his career in electoral politics in 1983, debuted as Minister almost four decades later in 2021.
B.C. Nagesh, Education Minister
Constituency: Tiptur
Another BJP leader from the RSS roots, B.C. Nagesh was inducted into Mr. Bommai’s cabinet as the Minister of School Education and Literacy in 2021. He was currently trailing behind Congress candidate K. Shadakshari in the Tiptur constituency and eventually lost the seat. The Minister made headlines recently when he declared in March that students who wear hijab to the examination centres would not be allowed to appear for their II PU examinations exams. Mr. Nagesh won the state assembly elections from Tiptur constituency in 2008 and 2018.
