Bengaluru: In an emphatic endorsement of Karnataka’s ruling JD(S)-Congress alliance by the voters, its candidates Tuesday won both the assembly constituencies — Ramanagaram and Jamkhandi — and two of the three Lok Sabha seats —Ballari and Mandya— in the bitterly fought bye-elections held on Saturday.

Congress’ A S Nyamagouda and Anitha Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) won Jamkhandi and Ramanagaram assembly constituencies Tuesday by a margin of 39,480 and 1,09,137 votes, respectively. Anitha Kumaraswamy is Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s wife. Congress’ VS Ugruppa and JD(S)’s LR Shivaramegowda won Ballari and Mandya Lok Sabha seats with a margin of 2,43,161 and 3,24,943 votes, respectively. While BJP’s BY Raghavendra, son of party chief BS Yeddyurappa, won Shimoga parliamentary seat with a margin of 5,21,48 votes.

The counting of votes for three Lok Sabha and three Assembly seats in Karnataka, which went to the bypolls on Saturday, began this morning. An estimated 67 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the bypolls.

Elaborate security arrangements were put in place and police are deployed around the counting centres and strongrooms since morning, where the EVMs are placed, to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during the counting of votes, police officials said.

The Karnataka bypolls was seen as a crucial test for the ruling Congress-JD(S) combine as they faced their first major political test since forging an alliance five months ago. The bypolls were significant as the coalition partners had termed it a “prelude” to the 2019 General Elections.