Belagavi: Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Basavaraj Horatti made a record of sorts by his straight seventh win in the elections for the Karnataka Legislative Council from Karnataka West Teachers' Constituency.

He defeated his nearest rival and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate M Nagaraj by a huge margin of 3,109 first preferential votes. Mr Horatti polled 7,480 votes, Prof M Nagaraj polled 4,371 votes, and Congress candidate T Ishwar was a distant third with 1,352 votes.

Of the 14,939 votes, 784 votes were invalid, while None Of The Above (NOTA) option was availed by 43 voters.

Other candidates in the fray, G C Patel polled 6 votes, Prof R M Kuberappa polled 883 votes, Raju Kamble 4 votes, Durdundeshwar Basarkod 11 votes, and Shivakumar 5 votes.

After getting elected, Mr Horatti appeared emotional and with moist eyes credited the teachers for ensuring his victory for the seventh straight time, and not falling prey to pressure tactics used by BJP leaders during the campaign.

He told reporters that, "BJP leaders used all ammunition at their disposal to defame him and ensure that he is defeated, but the voters thought otherwise. The voters were well aware of the BJP tactics and ensured that I won. Contest wasn't between me and Prof Nagaraj, but it was between me and combined duo of Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar and Member of Parliament Pralhad Joshi."

"Promises made by me in the elections since 1980 have been fulfilled. Teachers are aware of who responds to their problems and grievances. By seventh straight victory, teachers have given me more responsibilities and I would make efforts to live to their expectations by being available for them 24/7," he stated.

"When I first entered the Legislative Council in 1980, I was the most junior member. Now, with 7th entry, I am the most senior member. People have lot of expectations from me. Efforts would be made to live up to them," he expressed.