Karnataka Elections: BJP's CT Ravi Loses to Congress in Vokkaliga Dominated Seat

Ravi belongs to the Vokkaliga community and is currently the National Secretary of the BJP.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary and four-time-MLA CT Ravi lost to Congress' HD Thammaiah by a margin of 5,926 votes in Chikmagalur constituency during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

The loss is a huge setback for the BJP leader from the Vokkaliga community. Accepting defeat, he said, "I accept my loss in the assembly elections... I congratulate all the winning candidates and wish them the very best in the coming days."

He further tweeted on Saturday afternoon and said:

"Today's loss in the assembly election is our personal loss and not that of our ideology. We will introspect in the coming days and rectify our mistakes. Our efforts to build a Suvarna Karnataka will continue. I thank Kannadigas for all the support extended to us."

In the 2004, Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections, CT Ravi won by a margin of more than 25,000 votes in the constituency. This marked his entry into the Karnataka Legislature.

The four-time legislator from the Chikmagalur constituency won the assembly elections in 2018 by defeating Congress's Shankar BL with a margin of 26,314 votes.

Leading Congress candidate HD Thammaiah was previously associated with the BJP and was an aide of CT Ravi, before he left the party and switched to the Congress.

Ravi's statements have come under the scanner at a number of instances. In 2009, he had received a notice from the Election Commission for his 'inflammatory' speech at an election rally. During a controversy over the sale of halal food, he had referred to it as 'economic jihad'.