In Karnataka civic polls, Congress wins 509 of 1,221 wards, BJP gets 366
Bengaluru, May 31: Congress won the highest number of seats in civic polls in Karnataka on Friday, in some good news for the beleaguered party which was routed in the state in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.
While Congress bagged 509 of the total 1,221 wards in 56 urban local bodies (ULB) for which results were declared, the BJP got 366 wards, the state poll panel said.
The JD(S), which fought the polls alone, won 174 wards. Independent candidates emerged victorious in 160 wards, the BSP got 3, CPI(M) 2 and other parties secured 7.
The Congress and JD(S) who are in alliance in the state had decided to go to the polls separately and had asked their local leaders to decide on tactical arrangements at the ground-level depending on the local situation.
Results were declared for 217 wards of seven municipal councils, 714 wards of 30 town municipal councils and 290 wards of 19 town panchayats.
Congress won 90 wards in the municipal councils, while the BJP and JD(S) won 56 and 38 wards, respectively.
The Congress bagged 322 of 714 wards in 30 town municipal councils, where the BJP has won 184 and the JD(S) 102.
However, of the 290 wards in 19 town panchayats, BJP won the most with 126 seats, while the Congress and JD(S) won 97 and 34 wards, respectively.
The results of the civic body elections, which were held on Wednesday, gave a much-needed breather to the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in the state where it was battered by the BJP, which won 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress and the JD(S) had managed to win one seat each, indicating that neither arithmetic nor chemistry had worked for the two as its local leadership failed to reconcile at the ground level during the national elections.
The results were said to be the worst-ever performance by the Congress in Karnataka and a record of sorts by the BJP for which the state had emerged as a bright spot in the South with other neighbouring states bucking the trend.
The civic poll win, however, has rekindled the workers of the Congress and the JD(S), which were battling fears of defection in the state legislature.
Sounding upbeat, state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said the results indicate that the party was strong at the local level.
However, he raised apprehensions about voting machines used in the Lok Sabha polls, saying "such difference in public mandate in such a short gap needs to be verified."
"Whatever it may be, people have supported us and has installed confidence in us after Lok Sabha results," he added.
Rao said, in the civic bodies where the Congress has got majority, it will form administration on its own, and wherever there is no majority, local leaders have been asked to either seek JD(S) support or to support the regional party, depending on the situation.
When 105 civic bodies went to polls last year, the Congress had won 982 wards, while the BJP and the JD(S) won 929 and 375 wards, respectively.
District-wise data :
Bengaluru City: Congress-17, BJP-10
Chitradurga: Congress-22, BJP-20, JDS-3, Independents-18
Davanagere: Congress-10, BJP-5, JDS-14, Independents-2
Kolar: Congress-39, BJP-11, JDS-14, Independents -13
Chikkaballapur: Congress-26, BJP-2, JDS-11, BSP-2, CPM-2, Independents -11
Tumkur: Congress 45, BJP 21, JDS 15, Independents 10
Mysuru: Congress-31, BJP-18, JDS-23, Independents -5
Chikkamagaluru: Congress -27, BJP-27, JDS-7, Independents-6
Dakshina Kannada: Congress 24, BJP-34, JDS-1, Independents 2
Hassan: Congress-6, BJP-8, JDS-11, Independents-3
Mandya: Congress-23, BJP-4, JDS-32, Independents-10
Chamarajanagar: Congress-22, BJP-17, JDS-6, Independents-1, others -1
Vijayapur: Congress -24, BJP-20, JDS-3, Independents-22
Dharwad: Congress-18, BJP-18, JDS-17, Independents -5
Gadag: Congress-12, BJP-29, JDS-1, Independents -4
Haveri: Congress-12, BJP-22, Independents-12
Uttar Kannada: Congress-6, BJP-27, JDS-2, Independents -23
Bidar: Congress-75, BJP-31, JDS-13, BSP-1, Independents 4, others 4
Bellary: Congress-54, BJP-30, JDS-1, Independents -8
Yadgiri: Congress-16, BJP-12, Independents-1, others -2
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
