NDA Sweeps All Four Karnataka Legislative Council Seats

On October 23 2026, four Karnataka Legislative Council seats—two teachers’ and two graduates’ constituencies—were contested. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP and JD(S), won every seat. The BJP secured three (North-East Teachers, South-East Graduates, West Graduates) and JD(S) took Bengaluru Teachers. The ruling Congress failed to win any.

India TVANI NewsNDA Dominates Karnataka Legislative Council Polls As BJP Wins 3, Ally JDS 1 The HinduKarnataka MLC polls: Congress draws a blank as BJP-JD(S) alliance wins all 4 seats 'It's Done, Bro': BJP Jabs DK Shivakumar After Congress Loses Karnataka Legislative Council Polls It's done, bro: BJP jabs DK Shivakumar after sweeping Karnataka MLC elections Karnataka MLC polls: Big setback for DK Shivakumar as BJP-led NDA wins all 4 seats Karnataka MLC polls: Congress loses key Bengaluru seat despite ballot paper voting ‘DK, it’s done, bro! ’: BJP mocks Congress after NDA’s 4-0 sweep in Karnataka MLC polls

The biennial council election was billed as a test of the BJP-JD(S) alliance and of Congress’s appeal among educated voters, and an early indicator ahead of the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections. Earlier that year, Congress had won five of seven council seats elected by MLAs, but the October poll targeted the teachers and graduates electorates.

Karnataka MLC polls: Congress draws a blank as BJP-JD(S) alliance wins all 4 seats India TVNDA Dominates Karnataka Legislative Council Polls As BJP Wins 3, Ally JDS 1 'It's Done, Bro': BJP Jabs DK Shivakumar After Congress Loses Karnataka Legislative Council Polls ‘DK, it’s done, bro! ’: BJP mocks Congress after NDA’s 4-0 sweep in Karnataka MLC polls The HinduIt's done, bro: BJP jabs DK Shivakumar after sweeping Karnataka MLC elections ANI NewsKarnataka MLC polls: Congress loses key Bengaluru seat despite ballot paper voting

• Seat distribution after the poll: 37 Congress, 24 BJP, 7 JD(S), 1 Independent, with Chairman Saleem Ahmed in the 75-member council; five government-nominated seats remain vacant.

Karnataka MLC polls: Congress draws a blank as BJP-JD(S) alliance wins all 4 seats

• Vote margins:

The Hindu

• North-East Teachers: BJP incumbent Shashil G Namoshi defeated Congress’s Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes (15,596 vs 12,299).

'It's Done, Bro': BJP Jabs DK Shivakumar After Congress Loses Karnataka Legislative Council Polls

• South-East Graduates: BJP’s K M Suresh beat Congress’s Shashi Hulikunte Mutt by 23,098 votes.

'It's Done, Bro': BJP Jabs DK Shivakumar After Congress Loses Karnataka Legislative Council Polls

• West Graduates: BJP incumbent S V Sankanur won over Congress’s Mohan Limbikai by 9,323 votes (33,711 vs 24,388).

The Hindu

• Bengaluru Teachers: JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath defeated incumbent Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes (10,810 vs 9,902).

Karnataka MLC polls: Big setback for DK Shivakumar as BJP-led NDA wins all 4 seats

• Invalid ballots: The Hindu reported 10,245 invalid votes in West Graduates, exceeding the victory margin; the Times of India recorded 1,873 rejected votes in North-East Teachers, highlighting differing counts.

The Hindu

BJP leader Ashok Gowda called the result a repudiation of Congress, saying the party “has utterly failed in Karnataka.” JD(S) Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attributing the sweep to “development politics” and warning that the Congress government had “misused state machinery.”

Karnataka MLC polls: Congress loses key Bengaluru seat despite ballot paper voting India TVKarnataka MLC polls: Congress draws a blank as BJP-JD(S) alliance wins all 4 seats ‘DK, it’s done, bro! ’: BJP mocks Congress after NDA’s 4-0 sweep in Karnataka MLC polls 'It's Done, Bro': BJP Jabs DK Shivakumar After Congress Loses Karnataka Legislative Council Polls ANI NewsNDA Dominates Karnataka Legislative Council Polls As BJP Wins 3, Ally JDS 1 It's done, bro: BJP jabs DK Shivakumar after sweeping Karnataka MLC elections

JD(S) state youth president Nikhil Kumar criticised Rahul Gandhi’s earlier EVM-fraud allegations, noting the victory came with paper ballots “under your government’s nose.” BJP MP P C Mohan mocked Congress’s stance on voting technology, saying the party lost both with EVMs and with paper ballots.

Karnataka MLC polls: Congress loses key Bengaluru seat despite ballot paper voting ‘DK, it’s done, bro! ’: BJP mocks Congress after NDA’s 4-0 sweep in Karnataka MLC polls It's done, bro: BJP jabs DK Shivakumar after sweeping Karnataka MLC elections ANI News'It's Done, Bro': BJP Jabs DK Shivakumar After Congress Loses Karnataka Legislative Council Polls India TVKarnataka MLC polls: Big setback for DK Shivakumar as BJP-led NDA wins all 4 seats Karnataka MLC polls: Congress draws a blank as BJP-JD(S) alliance wins all 4 seats

Sources differ on invalid-vote counts: The Hindu’s 10,245 in West Graduates versus the Times of India’s 1,873 in North-East Teachers. No unified total of valid votes across the four constituencies is available, leaving overall turnout ambiguous.

The Hindu

• “It is an indication of what is going to happen in the BBMP elections. This is where the Congress should learn that they don't appeal to the people. They only create stories that are fake, far from the truth,” — Ashok Gowda.

NDA Dominates Karnataka Legislative Council Polls As BJP Wins 3, Ally JDS 1

• “We respect and accept the voters' verdict in the Legislative Council elections. We had expected to win two seats. The voters have sent us a message, and we will review the results,” — D K Shivakumar.

'It's Done, Bro': BJP Jabs DK Shivakumar After Congress Loses Karnataka Legislative Council Polls

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The Hindu