Congress's Siddaramaiah Quits As Legislative Party Leader After Karnataka Bypoll Defeat

Karnataka's ruling BJP firmly established its majority in the assembly today, winning 10 of 15 seats for which bypolls were held last week. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's four-month-old government -- formed after defections from the previous Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition -- needed only seven seats for a majority but won five extra at the cost of the Congress. Conceding defeat, the Congress said voters had "accepted defectors". Dinesh Gundu Rao quit as Karnataka Congress chief and Siddaramaiah quit as leader of the Congress legislature party. "I need to respect democracy," Mr Siddaramaiah said after handing in his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.