Chikkamagaluru: The Congress failed to take over the District Central Cooperative (DCC) Bank, winning only 1 of the 13 directors’ posts, in a major setback to the ruling party. The BJP-JD(S) alliance won the remaining 12 posts, even as sitting Congress MLA KS Anand lost to a BJP candidate. The election to elect the directors was held on Saturday. Out of 13 directors, 10 were elected from the BJP, 2 from the JD(S), and 1 went to Congress.The election turned high voltage as MLCs, an MLA, and former MLAs were in the fray. JD(S), which held the cooperative sector, joined hands with the BJP to keep Congress away from power.In a major embarrassment, Anand tasted defeat in the polls against a BJP candidate.MLCs CT Ravi and SL Bhoje Gowda achieved significant victories. Meanwhile, BJP’s Niranjan, who contested as a rebel candidate, lost the polls.Despite having 5 sitting MLAs in Chikkamagaluru district, the Congress could not secure even a single seat in the DCC Bank election, experiencing a severe setback. The defeat of both current and former MLAs who contested in this election dealt a significant blow to the Congress, while the BJP-JD(S) alliance achieved a resounding victory.
