Karnataka Congress wins Davanagere South by 5,708 votes

Bengaluru: The counting of votes for the much-awaited Davanagere South Assembly segment in Karnataka has been completed and the Congress has achieved a victory by 5,708 votes. Earlier in the day, the Congress also achieved a victory by a huge margin of 22,332 votes in the Bagalkot bypoll.

The party has attributed the victory in bypolls in Davanagere South and Bagalkot Assembly Constituencies to the guarantee schemes.

In the Davanagere South constituency, Congress candidate Samarth Mallikarjun secured 69,578 votes after the 24th round of counting. BJP’s Srinivasa T. Dasakariyappa polled 63,870 votes. The Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI)’s Afsar Kodlipet managed to get 18,975 votes.

The party has attributed its wins in the Davanagere South and Bagalkot bye-elections to its guarantee schemes.

The Davanagere South bye-election was necessitated by the death of veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa. The party fielded his grandson, Samarth Mallikarjun, as its candidate, while the BJP nominated Srinivasa T. Dasakariyappa, a leader from the oppressed classes.

The election was seen as a prestige battle for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, while the BJP was hoping to secure its first victory in Davanagere South Assembly segment. The results were crucial for both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP.

It may be recalled that the party’s decision regarding candidate selection in Davanagere South had led to internal rifts. The Congress removed two MLCs belonging to the minority community from their posts on charges of working against candidate Samarth Mallikarjun. There were 15 Muslim contestants from Davanagere South.

In Bagalkot, the bye-election was held following the untimely demise of H.Y. Meti. His son, Umesh Meti, is in a direct contest against the BJP’s Veeranna Charantimath. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah campaigned extensively for the Congress candidate.

Responding after winning both the bypolls, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President, D.K. Shivakumar stated, “Guarantee schemes have worked in our favour in Karnataka. Our government has responded to people’s difficulties. That is why we have achieved good results in the bye-elections.”

Meanwhile, BJP State President and MLA, B.Y. Vijayendra, stated, “We did not expect to lose in Bagalkot. Although the Congress had won earlier, we were confident that voters would support us this time. Our workers have put in a lot of effort in both constituencies.”

“Moreover, the Chief Minister stayed in Bagalkot for 15 days. Members of the Cabinet were also stationed there. Despite this, we were confident of victory. However, we accept that we have faced a setback in Bagalkot,” he added.

Responding to a question, he said that just because the Congress has won the bye-election, it cannot be concluded that there is a general shift in favour of the party. “We need to sit with our leaders and discuss the reasons for the setback in Bagalkot. After that, we will chalk out our strategy for organisational work,” he said.

Vijayendra further explained that in both constituencies, there were no internal differences, and local BJP leaders set aside their issues to work unitedly for the party candidate. “Party leaders worked in a coordinated manner. We also extended our support, and workers toiled day and night,” he said.

IANS