BENGALURU: With just 48 hours to go before the announcement of the Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna bypoll results, the mood in the Congress camp is upbeat, with the party hoping to take all three seats in the kitty. However, political analysts said that the race is likely to go down to the wire in two seats, and the more likely outcome is for each of the parties — BJP, Congress and JDS — winning one each.
The polling was held on November 13 and counting of votes will take place on November 23. In Sandur, the Congress may have cashed in on the internal bickering in the BJP, as the saffron party giving the responsibility to win the seat to former minister and Gangavathy MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy did not go down well with some local leaders.
It will be a hands down win for Congress candidate E Annapoorna, wife of Ballari MP E Tukaram, a Congress leader said with confidence. The BJP’s Bangaru Hanumanthu, however, gave a strong fight, but Annapoorna was the favourite of bettors, according to a source.
The contest, which looked one-sided initially in favour of Bharat, gradually turned out to be neck and neck. Earlier, another Congress aspirant, Syed Azeempeer Khadri, was miffed over not being given the ticket, but later the situation turned in favour of the Congress as there was internal bickering in the BJP, a source said.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had taken a lead of over 8,500 votes in Shiggaon assembly constituency, which was held by Bommai, which falls under Dharwad Lok Sabha seat. However, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi managed to win. If the trend continues, it will be a photo finish in Shiggaon as bettors are in favour of both Bharat and Pathan equally, according to informed sources.
The high voltage fight in Channapatna between Congress’ C P Yogeshwara and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s grandson and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is likely to end up in a photo-finish, too. Yogeshwara himself had predicted this.
Whether Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s alleged racist remarks on Kumaraswamy senior had an impact on the outcome, whether it had favoured Nikhil or Yogeshwara will be known after the results. The seat was held by Kumaraswamy who became Mandya MP.
Political analysts observed that all three parties were likely to win one seat each, as it was in the 2023 Assembly polls. BJP leaders privately admitted that they may win Shiggaon and its ally partner Channapatna, but Sandur is ruled out for them.
