UNI

Bangalore, May 26: It was a slip between the cup and the lip for Congress nominee Mohan Krishna Shetty in Kumta in Uttara Kannada District as he lost by a mere 20 votes to Janata Dal (Secular) Dinkar Keshava Shetty.

S A Ravindranath of the BJP, however, got the highest margin of victory in Karnataka in Davangere Central, polling 53,661 votes more than his nearest JD(S) rival B M Satish.

In Malur, S N Krishnaiah Shetty (BJP) defeated his JD (S) rival R Prabhakar by 52,401 votes for the second highest margin.

It was a dream shattered for former chief minister N Dharam Singh whose record ninth term in the State Assembly could not come through as he lost by 52 votes to his BJP opponent Doddanna Gouda.

Among those who posted high margins included former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy who re-entered the Assembly from Ramanagaram with a 47,260-vote margin over his BJP rival M Rudresh.

BJP Chief Ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa knocked off another former chief minister S Bangarappa in Shikaripur by a huge margin of 45,927 votes for a sixth term.