Vindication of policies, says Siddaramaiah after Cong wins 3 Karnataka bypolls
After the Congress won the Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna seats, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said he had won in the ‘people’s court’
BENGALURU: The Congress won the by-elections to three assembly seats, defeating the sons of two former chief ministers from Shiggaon and Channapatna assembly segments that were considered strongholds of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular), respectively.
In Shiggaon, Pathan Yasir Ahmed Khan of Congress defeated the BJP’s Bharat Bommai, son of former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, by a margin of 13,448 votes. Basavaraj Bommai previously represented the seat before vacating it following his election to the Lok Sabha from Haveri.
In Channapatna, Congress candidate CP Yogeshwar defeated JD(S)’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy by 25,413 votes. Nikhil, the son of union minister HD Kumaraswamy and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, lost the seat in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district, which was considered a bastion of the JD(S), to Yogeshwar, a BJP turncoat.
The Congress has retained Sandur where its candidate E Annapoorna secured a victory over BJP’s Bangara Hanumantha by 9,649 votes. Annapoorna’s husband, Congress MP E Tukaram, previously held the seat.
Saturday’s victories have raised the Congress’s tally in the Karnataka assembly from 134 to 137 seats. The Congress also has the support of an independent MLA.
Basavaraj Bommai responded to his son’s defeat in Shiggaon. “The Congress won by flooding money. I humbly accept and respect the decision of the people of Shiggaon constituency. I congratulate Congress candidate Yasir Khan Pathan. Based on the people’s response during the election campaign, we were confident of winning.”
Bommai also underlined that the Congress had an edge because it was in power. “People of the constituency chose a ruling party candidate since they are in power,” he said.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy of the JD (S), who faced his third defeat after previously losing the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2023 state elections, said: “I bow down to the decision of the voters. The people of the region have helped former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda (grandfather) and Union Minister Kumaraswamy (father) to become great leaders. I will keep my promises in the campaign and work for the good of society.”
Yogeshwar, who won the Channapatna seat, took a sharp jab at the JD(S) leadership. “As he (Kumaraswamy) wanted to become Union Minister, he contested and sacrificed his son’s interests. I have been told that Deve Gowda is a huge force. However, he is aged now. The people have rejected him for this reason. This is time for him to rest. Following this result, the countdown for the end of the JD(S) party has begun,” he said.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah said the bypoll win was a vindication of his government’s policies. “You know what Mahatma Gandhi said. He said the people’s court is better than the courts. Now people’s court has given me its verdict,” said the chief minister who faces allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi BM.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said the Congress’s guarantees and development played a major role in the bypolls. “Ultimately, criticisms perish, and work remains intact. This has been proved. The voters have given a message to the Opposition to shun criticism and false propaganda.”
Shivakumar also claimed that the bypoll results set the tone for the 2028 assembly elections, adding, “The people have clearly stated that the Congress party will come to power yet again in the state through these results.”
The BJP and JD(S) accused the Congress of leveraging financial resources to secure the wins. BJP state president BY Vijayendra said the party believed that candidates fielded by the BJP and JD(S) would win.
“In Karnataka, we have suffered setbacks in all three seats. We had confidence that our candidates would win all seats. We are disappointed with the results. In the coming days, the leaders of BJP and JD(S) parties will hold a meeting and discuss the reasons for our setback,” Vijayendra said.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly R Ashoka said the people voted for the Congress thinking that they would otherwise face problems with regard to development projects. “It is not a victory for CM Siddaramaiah or Dy CM Shivakumar. It is a victory for the money power. The BJP will turn the defeat into victory in coming days,” he said.
The bypoll defeat also led some leaders to criticise the party leadership. Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal blamed BS Yediyurappa for the defeat, accusing him of promoting his family rather than the party.
“Yediyurappa’s love for his son has led to the BJP’s defeat. The high command should have a serious discussion about this,” Yatnal said, adding, “People have rejected Vijayendra’s leadership. If he has any self-respect, he should resign.”
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