Bengaluru: The BJP on Wednesday took a swipe at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance won all four seats in the state’s Legislative Council elections for Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies.

Congress witnessed a setback in Karnataka as the party lost the elections to four seats in the Legislative Council, with the opposition JD(S) wresting one segment from the ruling party and its ally BJP retaining three.

The JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency from Congress.

The BJP has registered victory in North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies, defeating the Congress candidates.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP and JD(S), won two Graduates’ seats and two Teachers’ seats, delivering a clean sweep in the elections.

Celebrating the victory, the Karnataka BJP used the viral phrase “DK, it’s done, bro!” to target the ruling Congress.

In a post on X, the party wrote, “DK, it’s done, bro! NDA SWEEPS 4/4 Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies in the MLC elections!”

The phrase echoes actor Salman Khan’s widely discussed post, “Sonam, it’s done, bro”, which became a subject of online satire, memes and political commentary amid youth and student protests involving the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The BJP adapted the phrase to mock the Congress following the alliance’s electoral victory.

Shivakumar says Congress will review results

Reacting to the defeat, Shivakumar said the Congress would accept the people’s verdict with respect.

He acknowledged that the party had failed to meet its expectations and said it would conduct a detailed review of the results.

NDA sees victory as a sign of things to come

The elections covered 19 districts, nearly two-thirds of Karnataka, including the home districts of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

NDA leaders described the victory as a sign of growing support for the alliance among graduates, teachers and educated voters. They also presented the result as an indication of what could lie ahead in the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections.

JD(S) state youth president Nikhil Kumar called the outcome a “historic 4/4 clean sweep” and accused the Congress government of misusing state machinery and its power during the election.

In a post on X, Kumar said the NDA had won all four seats, covering two Graduates’ and two Teachers’ constituencies.

He claimed that educated voters had rejected the Congress government despite what he described as the misuse of official machinery and power.

Kumar also highlighted the geographical spread of the elections, noting that they covered 19 districts, including the home districts of Siddaramaiah and Kharge.

Calling the result a reflection of the political mood in the state, he said the use of ballot papers meant the verdict was free from debates over electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Kumar further described the NDA’s united campaign as a preview of the 2028 Assembly elections. He thanked voters and congratulated the leaders and party workers of both the BJP and JD(S) for the victory.