In a decisive show of strength, the Congress party secured a clean sweep in Karnataka’s by-elections, winning all three contested assembly seats – Channapatna, Sandur, and Shiggaon. The results, announced on Saturday, dealt a significant setback to the opposition BJP-JDS coalition.
The by-elections gained particular attention as they saw the defeat of two political heirs: Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharat Bommai, sons of former chief ministers. These seats had been vacated by their previous representatives to contest in the upcoming May Lok Sabha elections.
The high-profile Channapatna constituency witnessed an intriguing battle between Congress’s CP Yogeeshwara, a five-time MLA who recently defected from BJP, and JDS’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy, grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. In Shiggaon, Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan triumphed over BJP’s Bharath Bommai, avenging his previous loss to Basavaraj Bommai in the 2023 Assembly elections.
The Sandur constituency saw Congress candidate E Annapurna, wife of Bellary MP Tukaram, prevail against BJP state ST Morcha president Bangaru Hanumanthu, who is known for his close association with former mining baron G Janardhana Reddy.
Voter turnout was robust, with election officials reporting approximately 76.9 percent participation across the three constituencies. The elections, which featured 45 candidates competing for votes from over 700,000 registered voters, were conducted across 770 polling stations.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar characterised these results as a clear referendum on the Opposition’s propaganda and a vindication of the government’s development and welfare initiatives. He suggested that these results could be indicative of the political trend leading up to the 2028 Assembly elections.
