Karnataka - Raichur   

BJP has seen a steady growth in Koppal

Raichur: Two former Ministers of the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress have lost their seats in Koppal, and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s steady growth in the district is being attributed as the reason for this.

The former Ministers Iqbal Ansari of the Janata Dal (S) was defeated in Gangawati constituency and Basavaraj Rayaraddi of the Congress was defeated in Yelburga constituency. Another former Minister Nagappa Saloni of the Congress finished third in Gangawati.

However, the former Minister Amaregouda Bayyapur of the Congress won the Kushtagi seat by a margin of 1,770 votes. This is the fourth successive victory he has registered in the Assembly elections. Earlier, he had won from Lingsugur constituency thrice after contesting from a different party each time. This time he changed his affiliation to the Congress and was successful in his contest.

Mr. Ansari successfully fought the Assembly elections for the first time in 2004 from Gangawati as the Janata Dal (S) candidate. His defeat this time has not surprised many here. The weakened party (JD-S) organisation and the continued influence of the BJP in the constituency are being seen as the reasons for his defeat.

Though its candidates were contesting elections in Gangawati since 1989, the BJP improved its position in the constituency only in 1999. Its vote share has grown from 1.8 per cent in 1989 to 41.18 per cent in 1999 and 30.39 per cent in 2004. The party’s candidate Paranna Munavalli, who contested for the first time from the constituency this time, secured the seat by getting 33.74 per cent of the total votes polled.

In Yelburga, Eshanna Gulaganavar of the BJP defeated Mr. Rayaraddi by a margin of 29,781 votes. Mr. Rayaraddi was elected from Yelburga three times in a row from 1985 as the Janata Dal candidate. After the split in the Janata Dal, he joined the Congress, and won from the constituency in 2004. He successfully contested the elections for the Koppal parliamentary seat in 1996. However, he was defeated in the 1998 and 1999 general elections.

In fact, the BJP has gained its strength in Yelburga constituency only in the recent years. Though the party’s candidate polled 26.77 per cent of the total votes in 1983, the BJP did not field it candidates in the 1985 and 1989 elections. In 1994, its candidate got 1.06 per cent of the total votes polled. The party filed to improve its strength in the 1999 elections as its candidate polled 14 per cent of the total votes.

The BJP fielded its candidate from Kanakagiri constituency in 1994. Its candidate secured 22.16 per cent of the total votes polled. The party did not field its candidate in the 1999 elections. However, the BJP won the seat in 2004 when its candidate secured 46.35 per cent of the total votes. This time, Shivaraj Tangadagi successfully contested as an independent after the BJP denied him ticket. He secured 33.89 per cent of the total votes polled.

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BJP has seen a steady growth in Koppal

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