Karnataka   

A surprise victory for BJP in Harihar

DAVANGERE: The victory of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate B.P. Harish in Harihar has come as a surprise as the party does not have a single representative in the Harihar Taluk Panchayat. Not a single member of the party has been elected from Harihar to the Davangere Zilla Panchayat either. The BJP, however, has a one member in the Harihar municipality.

Of the 16 seats in the Harihar Taluk Panchayat, 10 were bagged by the Congress and six by the Janata Dal (Secular). Similarly, of the five zilla panchayat seats from Harihar, four were won by Janata Dal (S) candidates and one by the Congress. Even in the Harihar Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, Janata Dal (S) members are in a large number with the BJP having no representation at all.

Despite all this, Mr. Harish won the Harihar Assembly seat, that too against two former Ministers and seasoned politicians, H. Shivappa of the Janata Dal (S) and Y. Nagappa of the Congress. Mr. Harish, who contested from the constituency for the fourth time, and this year on a BJP ticket, suffered humiliating defeats on earlier occasions. All through his campaigning, he appealed to the people of the constituency to vote for him, claiming he did not have the strength to fight another election. According to many political leaders, Mr. Harish won because of the BJP wave in the State. Others say that when he was chairman of the Bhadra Command Area Development Authority, he helped many villages get their due share of water.

Mr. Harish secured 47,238 votes while Mr. Shivappa got 36,220 and Dr. Nagappa 35,652 votes.

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