DK Shivakumar Accepts Voters’ Verdict After Congress Draws Blank in Karnataka MLC Polls

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said the Congress will respectfully accept the voters’ verdict in the Legislative Council elections and undertake a detailed review of its defeat.

Speaking to the media, Shivakumar said the party had expected to win two seats, having previously held one, but failed to meet its target.

“The voters have given us a message. We will examine it thoroughly, analyse what went wrong and take corrective measures,” he said.

The remarks came after the BJP-JD(S) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept all four seats contested in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections, dealing a setback to the ruling Congress.

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

Shivakumar said the Congress would carefully assess its shortcomings and work towards strengthening its organisation and preparing party workers.

However, pushing back against Opposition claims that the MLC results signal the political direction ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections, he cited Congress victories in the Channapatna and Shiggaon Assembly bypolls, questioning whether those results should also be considered indicators of future electoral trends.

The Chief Minister also acknowledged that the loss in Bengaluru was unexpected.

The MLC results have triggered fresh political debate over the Congress government's electoral support among teachers and graduates, even as the party prepares to review its performance.