Bengaluru: Trends show the ruling Congress leading in Sandur segment, and BJP and JD(S) ahead in Shiggaon and Channapatna constituencies respectively, as the counting of votes is underway for bypolls held to three Assembly segments in Karnataka.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

The by-election for three segments was held on November 13, and the trends show the three parties leading in the seats they had represented in the past.


The bypolls for Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna were necessitated as the seats fell vacant following the election of their respective representatives -- E Tukaram of Congress, former CM Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) to Lok Sabha in May elections.


The bypolls witnessed a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Sandur and Shiggaon segments, while in Channapatna, JD(S) which is part of the NDA alliance took on the grand old party.


In Channapatna, which witnessed a "high profile" battle, among the three segments, JD(S)' actor-turned-politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is the son of Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's grandson, is leading against Congress' C P Yogeeshwara by a margin of 847 votes, getting 15,307 votes so far, according to Election Commission.


A five-time MLA from the segment and a former minister, Yogeeshwara, who is also an actor-turned-politician has secured 14,460 votes. He had joined the Congress after quitting the BJP ahead of his nomination.


BJP and JD(S) leaders had together campaigned for Nikhil in Channapatna.


In Shiggaon, BJP's Bharath Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai is leading ahead with a margin of 440 votes against Congress' Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, who had faced defeat against the former chief minister in the 2023 Assembly polls.


While Bharath Bommai has got 16,071 votes, Pathanhas got 15,631 votes so far, according to the Election Commission.


In Sandur, Bellary MP Tukaram's wife E Annapurna of Congress is leading in the seat vacated by her husband, against BJP ST Morcha president Bangaru Hanumanthu, by a margin of 1,001 votes.


While Annapurna got 20,128 votes so far, Hanumanthu got 19,127 votes.


With Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharath Bommai contesting, the third generation of Gowda and Bommai families were in the fray in this bypoll battle. Both their fathers and grandfathers have served as Karnataka's chief ministers in the past.