It’s done, bro: BJP jabs DK Shivakumar after sweeping Karnataka MLC elections

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Oct 28, 2026: The BJP took a swipe at Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after the ruling Congress lost all four seats in the Legislative Council elections, with the BJP and its ally JD(S) winning the contests.

"DK, it’s done, bro! NDA SWEEPS 4/4 Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies in the MLC elections!" the BJP’s Karnataka unit posted on X, along with a photo of Shivakumar with marigold flowers on his head.

The image was a throwback to February 2023, when Shivakumar staged a unique protest inside Vidhana Soudha against the state budget presented by the then chief minister Basavaraj Bommai. The BJP repurposed the photo to take a dig at the Congress leader over the whitewash.

The JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency from the Congress, while the BJP retained the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies.

In Bengaluru, JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath, backed by the BJP, defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna, who was seeking re-election, by 908 votes.

In the North-East Teachers’ Constituency, BJP’s sitting MLC Shashil G Namoshi defeated Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur, officials said. Namoshi secured his fifth victory from the constituency, which covers Kalaburagi, home turf of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

The results dealt a blow to the Congress, which had hoped to retain its lone seat and make gains in the other constituencies. All four seats went to polls on October 23, with ballot papers used for voting.

In light of the outcome, JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy hit out at senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his vote theft allegations.

"No EVMs to blame, state machinery in your hands, and election conducted via paper ballots," he said in a post on X, and asked whether the party would now blame ’paper chori (theft)’ for its defeat.

The MLC polls were a litmus test of coordination between the BJP and JD(S), alliance partners in Karnataka, and their ability to transfer support to each other’s candidates. With the opposition alliance dominating the election, it now has fresh ammunition to target the ruling Congress.