In Sea Of Congress Wins, Glaring Upset For A Heavyweight

Jagadish Shettar lost to the BJP\'s Mahesh Tenginakai

The Congress is set for a comfortable win in Karnataka but the defeat of a closely-watched heavyweight stands apart in this stellar performance by the Opposition party.

Jagadish Shettar, a former Chief Minister, has been a talking point ever since he switched over from the BJP to the Congress in the run-up to the elections.

A prominent Lingayat leader, Mr Shettar lost to the BJP\'s Mahesh Tenginakai by nearly 30,000 votes in the Hubli-Dharwad Central assembly segment. 

A six-time MLA, Mr Shettar joined the Congress last month after he was denied a ticket by the BJP to contest from Hubli-Dharwad Central. The veteran politician had then said he left the BJP because of \"ill-treatment\".

Following the switchover, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had said Mr Shettar\'s entry into the Congress would power the party to a thumping victory in the southern state.

The BJP, however, had said that Mr Shettar will fail to clinch a victory.

Hitting out at the veteran leader, former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Karnataka\'s tallest Lingayat leader, had said Mr Shettar had \"made a mistake\".

\"We had promised him Rajya Sabha membership and we would make him a minister at the Centre. Amit Shah himself spoke to Shettar. I think he made a mistake leaving the party. We wholeheartedly supported him almost every time,\" Mr Yediyurappa told NDTV.