GULBARGA: Neck-and-neck was the catchphrase on everyone's lips when the counting was going on for the Chittapur byelections on Friday.
After the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Valmiki Kamalu Nayak triumphed over his nearest rival Priyank Kharge, the former ensured that BJP leaves its footprints for the first time in the Chittapur (R) constituency in Gulbarga.
Nayak defeated the son of Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress candidate Priyank by a narrow margin of 1,606 votes.
Nayak polled 48,365 votes, whereas Kharge secured 46,759 votes. In the third position is Basavaraj Bennur of Janata Dal (Secular) with 4,904 votes, followed by Ayyappa Ramateertha of Bahujan Samaj Party with 1,356 votes, Shankar Jadhav of Bharatiya Praja Paksha (1,410), Sanjaykumar R Ghattargi (Independent) (1,286), Devendra (Independent) (977) votes, Satyam Satish Allolli (Independent) 617 votes and Rajappa Khatalappa (Independent) (602).
Of the total 1,86,444 electorates, 1,06,276 had exercised their franchise in the bypolls. Though postal ballots were sent to 17 service voters (military and ex-servicemen), no one exercised their franchise. There was a see-saw battle between Nayak and Khargewith both alternately taking the lead until votes of polling booth no 201 gave the end result.