The by-elections to the Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly constituencies concluded on Thursday with both seats recording turnout above 68%, amid scattered tensions, technical disruptions and allegations of inducements during the day.
According to figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), turnout reached 68.74% in Bagalkot and 68.43% in Davanagere South when polling closed. Polling began at 7 am and continued until 6 pm.
The day began slowly, with participation crossing 20% only after the first four hours. Voting accelerated by early afternoon: by 1 pm, turnout stood at 37.17% in Davanagere South and 43.75% in Bagalkot. By 3 pm, Davanagere South had reached 49.66%, while Bagalkot remained at 43.75% before climbing later in the day.
In Bagalkot, participation was marked by the return of migrant workers from Goa. Around 70 to 80 voters from Madapur village travelled overnight in private buses to cast their ballots. “Now, we have come to cast our votes,” one of them told reporters, recalling assistance they had received during the Covid lockdown from a local leader.
In otherwise orderly polling, tensions surfaced at a polling station near Millat School in Davanagere South, where workers of the Congress and the Social Democratic Party (SDPI) of India argued over the placement of a table. Congress workers cited a violation of norms, accusing SDPI agents of placing the table about 200 metres from the booth. The disagreement escalated after the table was overturned, leading to a brief clash. Police intervened and restored order; no injuries were reported.
{{/usCountry}}In otherwise orderly polling, tensions surfaced at a polling station near Millat School in Davanagere South, where workers of the Congress and the Social Democratic Party (SDPI) of India argued over the placement of a table. Congress workers cited a violation of norms, accusing SDPI agents of placing the table about 200 metres from the booth. The disagreement escalated after the table was overturned, leading to a brief clash. Police intervened and restored order; no injuries were reported.
{{/usCountry}}Technical disruptions were also reported in Davanagere South, where glitches in VVPAT units and electronic voting machines delayed polling at two stations earlier in the day.
In Bagalkot, voters at a polling station in Aminagad complained of inadequate basic facilities, including a lack of drinking water and shade, forcing people to wait in queues under intense heat. An elderly woman collapsed while waiting and was taken for treatment by locals, according to a local official.
Allegations of inducements and intimidation added to the day’s complications. Reports from Wambe Colony in Navanagar, which falls under the Bagalkot assembly, claimed that voters were offered ₹500. In a video circulating online, whose authenticity could not be independently verified, a woman displayed a ₹500 note and alleged Congress workers had given it to her, expressing dissatisfaction over the amount.
The Bagalkot police registered a First Information Report (FIR) after the video surfaced. “The matter was inquired into immediately, and an FIR has been registered. Further investigation is in progress,” the Chief Electoral Officer’s office said.
Separately, residents surrounded a vehicle belonging to a Congress leader in Bagalkot, accusing those inside of distributing money. The leader reportedly stepped out and confronted the crowd.
Further allegations emerged in Bagalkot involving claims that students at educational institutions were threatened with consequences if they did not vote for a particular party. The district electoral officer ordered an inquiry into the matter. Youth Congress and student leaders staged a protest and submitted a memorandum alleging coercion and irregularities in voter identity card issuance.
In another complaint, student representatives alleged that hostel inmates were prevented from voting. District authorities denied the charge, stating that only one student was eligible and had been allowed to vote.
Across both constituencies, a total of 34 candidates are contesting, with the principal contest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The SDPI is also contesting.
Bagalkot, which has 295,000 voters, saw nine candidates in the fray across 332 polling stations, with over 1,500 personnel deployed. Davanagere South, with an electorate of 231,000, had 25 candidates and 284 polling stations, including 76 classified as sensitive, with more than 1,000 security personnel deployed. Prohibitory orders were enforced within a 200-metre radius of polling booths.
The by-elections were necessitated by the deaths of sitting Congress legislators in both constituencies. While the outcome does not alter the balance of power in the Assembly, both major parties mounted extensive campaigns.
For the Congress, retaining both seats would reinforce its standing among voters, while a loss could be interpreted as a setback to the state government’s performance. The BJP, for its part, seeks to capture the seats to signal voter dissatisfaction and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.