Shivakumar’s ‘Chanakya’ Masterclass: Congress Sweeps MLC Polls, Unity Fractured In BJP, JD(S)

Last Updated:June 19, 2026, 09:34 IST

Instead of the expected 140 votes, the five Congress candidates secured 151 votes. This suggests cross-voting from BJP and JD(S) MLAs.

DK Shivakumar, Karnataka’s Chief Minister and the Congress party’s troubleshooter and crisis manager, has officially endorsed his reputation as the “Chanakya of the Congress" for his tactical acumen. Known for outmanoeuvring political rivals and securing key electoral victories, in the latest MLC elections he not only engineered the win of all five Congress candidates but also ensured that the fifth candidate, Vinay Karthik, whose candidature was expected to secure only the minimum required votes, won with the largest margin among all five Congress nominees.

This was the first major electoral test for Shivakumar in his new role, and the Congress secured five of the seven Legislative Council seats that went to polls on Thursday.

Barely two weeks after being sworn in, he also successfully mounted a political strike against Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy by allegedly engineering an 11-member cross-voting in favour of the Congress in the Legislative Council elections.

Congress Exceeds Expectation With Unexpected Cross-voting

The JD(S) had fielded its candidate, Govind Raju, to keep its flock united and preserve its 18-member legislative strength. Based on Assembly numbers, the Congress should have secured around 140 votes with the support of three Independents and two expelled BJP members – Shivaram Hebbar and ST Somashekar.

Instead of the expected 140 votes, the five Congress candidates secured 151 votes.

This suggests cross-voting from BJP and JD(S) MLAs. The JD(S) candidate, Govind Raju, secured just 14 votes, even though the BJP had allotted four of its votes to JD(S).

The Congress had fielded a fifth candidate, Vinay Karthik, a close associate of Shivakumar, to ensure surplus votes did not get wasted. Party sources said that while the Congress would have comfortably won four seats, the fifth candidature was a strategic move to maximise vote utilisation. Of the seven seats, the Congress would have expected to win four, while the BJP, with its allocation, would have been positioned to win two.

Senior Congress leader and former MP VS Ugrappa told News18 that the outcome also reflects voter sentiment ahead of the 2028 elections. “The cross-voting that we saw is a clear sign of disgruntlement and also that the choice of MLAs was in favour of the Congress. DK Shivakumar has engineered a win that even the BJP and JD(S) have been left stunned by," Ugrappa said.

He added that the result was a signal for future electoral trends: “If the BJP has some common sense, this is an indication of the forthcoming elections. It is a feather in the cap of the new Chief Minister of Karnataka. It shows collective leadership in the Congress."

He also questioned the discipline within the BJP: “Where is that discipline now that they so often boast of?"

BJP, JD(S) Face Internal Strain After Cross-Voting

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka acknowledged irregularities, saying the intended allocation was 30 votes each, but cross-voting appears to have altered the outcome.

He said three MLAs had cross-voted and the party would investigate their identities. “Those who have betrayed us will face action. We will soon find out who did it," he said.

The JD(S) had also fielded its candidate to ensure internal unity, but the results indicate fragmentation within its legislative strength. Congress party sources have attributed the outcome and cross-voting from both BJP and JD(S) MLAs to DK Shivakumar’s political strategy.

The results showed Congress and allied Independents had around 138 assured votes in the 224-member Assembly, yet the party’s candidates collectively secured 151 votes—pointing clearly to support from outside its camp.

Political Messaging Ahead Of Future Elections

Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said the results reflected strong public and legislative backing for the party’s governance.

“In the first round of the Legislative Council elections, all five Congress candidates won with a landslide victory. Congress had 135 votes but secured 151. The BJP fell short by seven votes, while the Janata Dal secured 14 votes instead of 18," he said.

He added that the outcome reflected approval of the government’s welfare policies, particularly the five guarantee schemes under which nearly ₹56,000 crore is transferred annually to beneficiaries.

“The BJP and JD(S) wanted to abolish these guarantees, but their own MLAs have expressed confidence in the Congress government’s policies," he said.

Meanwhile, expelled MLAs ST Somashekar, A Shivaram Hebbar, and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, along with JD(S) leader GT Deve Gowda, said they voted according to their “conscience".

Somashekar and Hebbar, previously in the Congress before joining the BJP in 2019 and later serving as ministers, are now seen aligning with the ruling party.

The BJP had to go into a second round to secure its second candidate’s victory, reflecting internal coordination issues. One BJP candidate fell short by a single vote, and another vote was declared invalid. Party leaders admitted that had both candidates cleared the first round, the outcome would have been different.

Senior Congress leaders called it a “collective leadership failure" for both the BJP and JD(S), arguing that neither party was able to keep its flock together. They also said it reflects weakening organisational control under BJP state leadership.

“This is also a report card of the BJP state leadership or lack of it," said a senior Congress leader.

For the BJP, the result triggered internal review meetings to identify cross-voting legislators. For the JD(S), it has raised concerns about internal cohesion and political discipline.

About the Author

Rohini Swamy

Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously wor...Read More

News india Shivakumar’s ‘Chanakya’ Masterclass: Congress Sweeps MLC Polls, Unity Fractured In BJP, JD(S)

Read More