Karnataka Bypolls: BJP Leads in Davanagere South, Congress Ahead in Bagalkot

Bengaluru — Counting of votes for the by-elections in two key Assembly constituencies of Karnataka—Davanagere South and Bagalkot—got underway on Monday, with early trends showing a split verdict between the two major parties.

In Davanagere South, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Srinivasa T. Dasakariyappa has taken an early lead over Indian National Congress nominee Samarth Mallikarjun. After the first round of counting, Srinivasa secured 3,711 votes, while Mallikarjun trailed with 3,134 votes. A total of 21 rounds of counting are scheduled in this constituency.

Meanwhile, in Bagalkot, the Congress appears to be in a stronger position. Its candidate Umesh Meti is leading by over 5,000 votes against BJP’s Veeranna Charantimath after the second round. Umesh Meti has polled 10,996 votes compared to Charantimath’s 5,980. The counting here will proceed through 23 rounds.

The Bagalkot bypoll was necessitated by the demise of former leader H.Y. Meti, with his son Umesh Meti entering the fray. The campaign saw active involvement from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, underlining the seat’s political importance.

In Davanagere South, the by-election followed the passing of senior Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa. The party fielded his grandson Samarth Mallikarjun, while the BJP nominated Srinivasa Dasakariyappa, aiming to make electoral inroads in the constituency.

The stakes are high for both sides, with the prestige of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on the line, while the BJP is eyeing a breakthrough win in Davanagere South.

Counting began at 8 a.m. under tight security arrangements, with multiple counting tables, micro observers, and CCTV monitoring in place to ensure transparency. Final results are expected after the completion of all counting rounds later in the day.

With inputs from IANS