Cong has only one-seat margin on BJP in Bangalore

BANGALORE: Although Karnataka voted out the BJP, the Bangaloreans didn’t punish the saffron party. The country’s IT capital, which can be said to signify urbane political attitude, went by the individual and not the party. At the end of the day, the difference between the big two was of just one seat.

Of the 28 assembly seats in Bangalore city, Congress won 13 and BJP got 12. The JD(S), generally seen as a rural party, went up from one to three. The Bangalorean logic seemed simple: if an MLA had worked for his area, he was rewarded, regardless of his or her party. The BJP lost only five seats it had held in the last assembly: Chickpet, Yeshwantpur, R R Nagar, K R Puram and Anekal.

In 2008, the BJP had won 17 seats while the Congress had swept 10. In 2013, the gain was not for the Congress but the JD(S). While the Congress wrested fi ve from BJP, it lost two to JD(S).

Also, a fresh breed of politicians checked in: educated, suave and civic-conscious .