SHIVAMOGGA: Even though BJP candidate B Y Raghavendra emerged victorious in Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency, the by-poll result is a setback for the saffron party and its strongman B S Yeddyurappa as the victory margin has come down drastically from 3.60 lakh in 2014 Lok Sabha election to 52,148 in this by-election.
Despite rigorous campaigning from coalition leaders, including Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and former CM Siddaramaiah, JD(S)-Congress coalition candidate Madhu Bangarappa failed to make it to Parliament.
The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 65.24%. The coalition parties attributed the defeat to not reaching every nook and corner of the constituency. The outcome is a bitter pill to swallow for Yeddyurappa as his son’s victory margin has come down despite intense campaigning. BJP district president Rudregowda told The New Indian Express that the result is not a setback for the BJP. “We expected a margin of two lakh votes. The reason for the low margin is the percentage of votes polled which has come down by 15 per cent. The 15 per cent of voters are well educated but they did not turn up to polling stations. We got votes from Ediga community as expected,” he said. Kumaraswamy had camped in Shivamogga for four days. Siddaramaiah and Gowda also visited the district twice. Still, the leaders failed to ensure the victory of Madhu.