NEW DELHI: The Congress party swept two Assembly by-elections in Karnataka, wresting the Bagalkot and Davanagere South constituencies on Monday.
In Bagalkot, Congress candidate Umesh Hullappa Meti secured a convincing victory, polling 98,919 votes. He defeated his nearest rival, the BJP’s veteran leader Charantimath Veerabhadrayya, by a margin of 22,332 votes. Veerabhadrayya secured 76,587 votes.
The contest in Davanagere South was more closely fought but ultimately resulted in a Congress win. Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna, representing the influential Shamanur family, polled 69,578 votes. He edged out the BJP’s Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa, who secured 63,870 votes, winning by a margin of 5,708 votes.
The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate, Afsar Kodlipete, played a notable role in the Davanagere South contest, garnering 18,975 votes and finishing third.
For the BJP, the loss of Bagalkot, a seat where Charantimath Veerabhadrayya has historically been a strong contender, comes as a major blow. The party had campaigned heavily on issues of local infrastructure and national security, which failed to overcome the Congress party’s momentum.
The by-elections were held following vacancies created by the deaths of sitting legislators.