Karnataka Bypolls Held in Bagalkot and Davanagere South Amid High Political Stakes

Voting began for by-elections in two Assembly constituencies—Bagalkot and Davanagere South—in Karnataka on Thursday.

The bypolls were necessitated by the passing of senior Congress MLAs H. Y. Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa. Votes will be counted on May 4.

While the results are unlikely to immediately alter the political landscape of the state, the contests are being viewed as a matter of prestige for both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP.

The Congress faces the task of holding on to both seats, whereas the BJP is seeking to capture them and deal a political blow to the ruling party, which has recently been grappling with internal leadership tensions.

In Bagalkot, more than 259,000 eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots across 319 polling stations, with nine candidates contesting. In Davanagere South, over 231,000 voters are set to exercise their franchise at 284 polling stations, where 25 candidates are in the fray.

Officials stated that comprehensive security arrangements had been put in place to ensure smooth polling.

The BJP has nominated former MLA Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, who was defeated in 2023, from Bagalkot, and a newcomer, Srinivas T. Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.

The Congress has fielded relatives of the deceased legislators in both constituencies: Umesh Meti, son of H.Y. Meti, and Samarth Mallikarjun, grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.

Samarth’s father, S.S. Mallikarjun, serves as a minister in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet and oversees Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the area.

The BJP is aiming to use the by-elections to strengthen its position and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly polls. For the Congress, retaining both seats is important, as any loss could be interpreted as a negative assessment of the Siddaramaiah government’s performance.

In Davanagere South, discontent among sections of the Muslim community appears to be a concern for the Congress. With 14 of the 25 candidates belonging to the community, there are fears within the party that a split in votes could benefit the BJP.

The community had strongly advocated for a Congress ticket in the constituency, given its significant presence. Additionally, some party factions had opposed awarding the ticket to the Shamanur family.

Although the Congress persuaded rebel candidate Sadiq Pailwan to withdraw, he remains in the contest as the decision came after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.

In Bagalkot, the Congress also faced internal disagreements, with other members of the Meti family seeking the ticket. Intervention by Siddaramaiah helped ease tensions to some extent, and party members eventually campaigned together.

In contrast, the BJP experienced minimal dissent over candidate selection, with its leaders presenting a united front during campaigning.

Senior leaders from both parties campaigned extensively in the two constituencies. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, and several ministers spent over a week touring the areas. The BJP, however, criticised their intensive campaigning, suggesting it indicated concern over a possible defeat.

In the 2023 Assembly elections, H.Y. Meti defeated Veerabhadrayya Charantimath by 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shamanur Shivashankarappa secured victory over BJP candidate B. G. Ajay Kumar by a margin of 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.