Mysore/Mysuru: With the results of the Karnataka Assembly Polls-2023 announced, the district has got five graduates among the newly elected MLAs.

Darshan Dhruvanarayan of the Congress who won from Nanjangud (SC) Constituency is a Law graduate and a Post-Graduate in Public Policy. Darshan, the son of late KPCC Working President and former Chamarajanagar MP R. Dhruvanarayan, is also the youngest of all the MLAs at the age of 28 years.

Darshan, who was allotted the Congress ticket after the sudden demise of his father, has won by a huge margin of 47,607 votes, defeating his nearest rival B. Harshavardhan of the BJP. While Darshan secured 1,09,125 votes, BJP’s Harshavardhan could muster only 61,518 votes.

G.D. Harish Gowda of the JD(S) won from Hunsur seat with a slender margin of 2,412 votes, defeating his nearest rival H.P. Manjunath of the Congress. Harish Gowda is an Engineering graduate from the city’s prestigious NIE College. Harish Gowda, son of Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda, is also the MCDCC Bank President. While G.D. Harish Gowda, who contested the Assembly polls for the first time, secured 94,666 votes, his nearest rival H.P. Manjunath of the Congress, a three-time MLA, could manage 92,254 votes.

K. Harishgowda of the Congress who won from Chamaraja, is a BA graduate having studied at the city’s Maharaja’s College. K. Harishgowda, who contested from Chamaraja for the second time, defeated his nearest rival L. Nagendra of the BJP by a margin of 4,094 votes. While K. Harishgowda bagged 72,931 votes, Nagendra succeeded in getting 68,837 votes. K. Harishgowda had contested the 2018 Assembly polls too as an independent candidate after he was denied the JD(S) ticket and had made a mark by getting a sizeable number of votes.

T.S. Srivatsa of the BJP who won from KR is the lone BJP MLA from 4 districts — Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu. Srivatsa, a B.Com graduate, contested the polls for the first time in his over three-decades of public service and registered a memorable victory, defeating his nearest rival and old warhorse M.K. Somashekar of the Congress, who was an MLA twice from KR Constituency. Srivatsa won by a margin of 7,213 votes. He secured 73,670 votes as against 66,457 of Somashekar.

D. Ravishankar of Congress won from K.R. Nagar defeating his nearest rival S.R. Mahesh of the JD(S), a three-time MLA. Ravishankar trounced S.R. Mahesh by a margin of 25,639 votes and thus avenged his defeat in the 2018 Assembly polls, when he lost by a slender margin of less than 2,000 votes. Ravishankar secured 1,04,502 votes as against 78,863 votes of Mahesh.

Ravishankar, the son of senior Congress leader Doddaswamegowda, a close associate of former CM Siddharamaiah, is a Law graduate from KLE College, in Bengaluru.

Farmer leader Darshan Puttannaiah of  Karnataka Sarvodaya party backed by the Congress and other organisations and political outfits, became the Melukote MLA in neighbouring Mandya district for the first time, defeating C.S. Puttaraju of the JD(S), who is also a former Minister. Darshan, the son of KRRS (Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha) leader and late Melukote MLA K.S. Puttannaiah, is an Engineering graduate from SJCE in Mysuru. K.S. Puttannaiah who had won from Melukote in the 2013 Assembly polls, passed away in early 2018, a couple of months before the Assembly polls that took place in May 2018. Following his father’s demise, Darshan contested from Melukote  on a Sarvodaya party ticket in 2018, but lost. But now, with Congress support, he has won in his second attempt, defeating JD(S) stalwart C.S. Puttaraju by a margin of 10,862 votes. While Darshan polled 91,151 votes, Puttaraju could secure only 80,289 votes.