Karnataka bypoll: Congress wins in CM Basavaraj Bommai’s bastion of Hangal

In what is being seen as a bittersweet result for the ruling BJP and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Karnataka, the saffron party has won the Sindgi assembly segment, but lost the Hangal seat to Congress, in the bypolls held on October 30.

According to results announced by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday, Ramesh Bhusanur of BJP won in Sindgi seat by a margin of 31,185 votes, by securing 93,865 votes, while his closest rival Congress' Ashok Managuli secured 62,680 votes. In Hangal, Congress' Srinivas Mane won by a margin of 7,373 votes, securing 87,490 votes, while his closest rival Shivaraj Sajjanar of BJP bagged 80,117 votes.

JD(S)' Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi from Sindgi and Niyaz Shaikh from Hangal came a distant third, by securing 4,353 and 927 votes respectively.

The bypolls for two seats was necessitated as they had fallen vacant, following the death of Sindgi JD(S) legislator M C Managuli and BJP's C M Udasi from Hangal.

The BJP losing Hangal is seen as a setback to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, as it is the neighbouring constituency to his Shiggaon assembly segment in Haveri district, and that he had extensively campaigned there.

This was also the first major electoral challenge for Bommai, after taking charge as CM.

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Congress leaders seemed to be satisfied with the party's performance in the bypolls, as it has succeeded in snatching away Hangal seat from the BJP, while improving its performance in Sindgi, where it was in the third spot after 2018 assembly polls.

An estimated 69.47 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Sindgi assembly constituency, while it was 83.76 per cent in Hangal segment during the October 30 voting.

A total of 19 candidates were in the fray in the two constituencies, including six from Sindgi and 13 from Hangal. Two candidates from Sindgi were women.