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Bypoll result `an encouraging eye-opener': Kumaraswamy

Staff Reporter

It is not a moral victory for Siddaramaiah, he says

BANGALORE: Terming the outcome of the Chamundeshwari byelection an "encouraging eye-opener" for the coalition partners in the Government, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday asserted that the Janata Dal (Secular) "lost, but yet won" the election.

Addressing a press conference here barely three hours after the byelection results were announced, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the narrow margin had clearly shown that it was not a victory for the Congress or its candidate, Siddaramaiah. "It is certainly not a moral victory for the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah," he said.

The Chief Minister, who appeared unperturbed by the election result, said Mr. Siddaramaiah, who won the election by 257 votes, represented the constituency for over two decades by identifying himself with the Janata Dal. But the margin with which he won as a Congress candidate should be viewed from a different perspective.

He said that it should be noted that with the exit of Mr. Siddaramaiah from the party, the JD(S) had started from scratch and fielded a political novice against the seasoned politician. But the results had given the party the moral and political courage to face the Congress.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said that he had not lost political courage, as losing and winning elections were not new to his father, H.D. Deve Gowda, his elder brother, H.D. Revanna, and him. "We have learnt to receive the people's verdict with humility and equanimity in all situations."

Measures

On the various measures taken by the Election Commission in the run-up to the election, Mr. Kumaraswamy said some general comments were made about some measures the Election Commission took two days before the polls.

"Passing value judgments on what it had done is the responsibility of constitutional experts and others concerned," he said.

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