Congress wins five of seven Karnataka MLC seats, BJP two

The ruling Congress party secured a decisive victory in Karnataka's Legislative Council elections on Thursday, winning five of the seven seats contested in a vote seen as an early test of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's leadership. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the remaining two seats, while its alliance partner, the Janata Dal (Secular), failed to secure representation.

The election for the upper house seats, held by members of the legislative assembly at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, was necessitated by the retirement of seven members whose terms conclude on June 30. The victorious Congress candidates are BK Hariprasad, Thippannappa Kamaknoor, PV Mohan, Shivanna Malavalli, and Vinay Karthik. The BJP's winning candidates are Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya.

The outcome has fueled widespread speculation about cross-voting, with reports suggesting Congress candidates received more votes than the party's official strength in the assembly. Chief Minister Shivakumar acknowledged receiving support from legislators across party lines, stating that a broad mandate had been given in favor of the government's policies. Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala...