The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has retained Karnataka’s West Graduates’ Constituency in the Legislative Council, with sitting MLC S.V. Sankanur defeating Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai by 9,323 votes. The victory marks Sankanur’s third consecutive win from the constituency and strengthens the BJP’s hold over the region. The result was declared on October 28 after counting continued overnight at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad.
Sankanur secured 33,711 first-preference votes, while Limbikai received 24,388. Independent candidate Kantakumar R. finished third with 4,055 votes. A total of 14 candidates contested the election, which was held on October 23. Counting began at 8 am on October 27 and concluded around 2 am on October 28.
The result gives Sankanur another six-year term in the Karnataka Legislative Council. He was first elected from the constituency in 2014 and retained the seat in 2020. His latest victory underlines the BJP’s continued support among registered graduates across the four districts covered by the constituency: Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri and Uttara Kannada.
Sankanur established an early lead during the counting process and maintained his advantage through subsequent rounds. In the first round, he secured 6,459 votes against Limbikai’s 4,394, opening a lead of 2,065 votes. The margin widened as counting progressed, eventually reaching 9,323 votes.
The outcome is a setback for the Congress, which had hoped to reclaim the constituency through Limbikai. He had earlier represented the BJP in the constituency contest in 2008, when he defeated former minister H.K. Patil and wrested the seat from the Congress. His attempt to return to the Legislative Council as a Congress candidate, however, fell short.
The West Graduates’ Constituency election is part of the biennial polls to four seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council. The contest was significant because it tested the organisational strength of the BJP and Congress among graduates, as well as the ability of the opposition parties to consolidate their support in Karnataka.
The BJP’s victory in West Graduates’ was one part of a broader electoral setback for the ruling Congress. The BJP retained the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies, while its National Democratic Alliance partner, the Janata Dal (Secular), won the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency. The opposition alliance thus secured all four seats that went to the polls.
In the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency, JD(S) candidate A.P. Ranganath defeated Congress candidate Puttanna by 908 votes. In the North-East Teachers’ Constituency, BJP’s Shashil G. Namoshi defeated Congress nominee Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes. BJP candidate K.M. Suresh also won the South-East Graduates’ Constituency, defeating Congress candidate Shashi Hulikunte Mutt by 23,098 votes.
The combined outcome has given the BJP and JD(S) fresh political ammunition against the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar also facing questions about the party’s performance. The results are being viewed as a measure of the opposition alliance’s coordination and its ability to transfer votes between the two parties.
However, the Legislative Council results do not directly threaten the stability of the Congress government, which commands a majority in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The elections were conducted among specific groups of voters, including registered graduates and teachers, rather than through a general election involving the entire electorate.
The West Graduates’ Constituency has a distinct voter base comprising eligible graduates registered in Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri and Uttara Kannada districts. Candidates rely on local networks, professional associations and outreach among graduates to build support. The outcome therefore offers insight into political preferences within this section of the electorate, although it cannot automatically be treated as a prediction of the next Assembly election.
The counting process also drew attention to the number of rejected ballots. Of the 73,691 votes taken up for counting, 63,446 were declared valid and 10,245 were rejected. The rejected votes exceeded Sankanur’s victory margin, making ballot validity a notable feature of the result. The Returning Officer, Belagavi Regional Commissioner K.M. Janaki, declared the result after the counting process concluded peacefully.
Sankanur’s third consecutive victory provides continuity in BJP’s representation of the West Graduates’ Constituency. For the Congress, Limbikai’s defeat highlights the difficulty of dislodging an incumbent with an established base among registered graduates.
The result adds to the political significance of Karnataka’s 2026 MLC elections, particularly as the BJP and JD(S) seek to strengthen their partnership ahead of the 2028 Assembly polls. While the contest was limited to a specific electorate, the opposition alliance’s sweep of all four seats is likely to intensify political exchanges with the ruling Congress in the coming days.
