Major blow for Congress after poll reverse in Karnataka

New Delhi: After decades of waiting, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday scripted history as it dramatically bagged top honours in the Karnataka election to rule a state in south India on its own strength for the first time.

In the process, the BJP dealt a major blow to the Congress, which also suffered huge defeats in all three Lok Sabha by-elections for which results were declared on Sunday.

BJP's prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani promptly claimed that 2008 would prove to be a year of change in politics for India, where a new parliamentary election is due next year.

Trounced

As if losing Karnataka was not bad enough, the Congress was trounced in the Lok Sabha seats of Thane in Maharashtra (by Shiv Sena), Tura in Meghalaya (by Nationalist Congress Party) and Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh (by BJP). In Punjab, the ruling Akali Dal won the Amritsar-south assembly seat.

But it was the failure to regain power in Karnataka and, worse, the loss of its former bastion to the BJP in a decisive way that stunned the Congress. One leader frankly admitted he had no idea what had gone wrong while another, speaking off the record, said party president Sonia Gandhi too was to blame for the mess in Karnataka.

The BJP, which tasted power for just a week in November last year before being toppled by the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), swept large parts of Karnataka to end up with 111 seats - just short of the magical figure of 113 needed to form a government. This was a significant rise from the 79 seats it bagged in 2004 when it became the largest single group but could not take power.

The Congress bagged 80 seats, up from 65 in 2004. The biggest loser was the JD-S, whose tally fell to 28 from 58 in 2004. Independents and smaller groups claimed six seats.

BJP's chief ministerial aspirant B.S. Yediyurappa, 65, said he would call on the governor on Monday to stake claim to form a government. He said some independents were in touch with his party and would extend support to the BJP.

The election result in Karnataka was a milestone in Indian politics. For the first time, the BJP, which for decades had been dubbed a "north India party", would form a government in any the southern states.

Profile: Hindu nationalist leader

Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa, who seems set to take over as the Karnataka chief minister following his party's historic electoral win, began his political career as an active member of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of 23.

A staunch believer, he often visits temples and various mutts (monasteries) seeking blessings. He also consults astrologers.

Yediyurappa slightly changed his name, reportedly on the advice of his astrologers. He cut out the 'i' and added a 'd' to his name.

Known to be a strict disciplinarian, the 65-year-old is a man of short temper. An arts graduate, he is a widower. He has three daughters and two sons.