Karnataka by-polls: Bad news for BJP as Cong takes Bellary, leads Chikkodi-Sadalga

Bangalore: The ruling Congress in Karnataka wrested the Bellary Rural seat from the BJP and was ahead in another constituency as counting of votes for the prestigious by-polls held on 21 August was taken up this morning. Congress’ NY Gopalakrishna trounced BJP’s Obalesh by an impressive margin of over 33,000 votes in Bellary Rural, electoral officials said. [caption id=“attachment_767005” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Congress celebrations after the Karnataka elections. AFP[/caption] The Bellary Rural seat was won by B Sriramulu as BRS Congress candidate in the 2013 Assembly polls before he rejoined the BJP. Sriramulu was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2014 polls from Bellary as the BJP candidate. BJP was ahead in Shikaripura, where its party National Vice-President BS Yeddyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra was leading by around 2,900 votes against Congress’ HS Shantaveerappa Gowda in a close battle. The Shikaripura seat had been won by Yeddyurappa seven times earlier, before he made his debut to the Lok Sabha from Shimoga. In the 2013 Assembly polls, Yeddyurappa had won the seat as a candidate of the Karnataka Janatha Paksha which he merged with the BJP, months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. In Congress’ traditional stronghold of Chikkodi-Sadalga, electoral officials said, its candidate Ganesh Prakash Hukkeri had established a lead of over 16,700 votes against BJP’s Mahantesh Kavatagimath. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had invested heavy prestige into the by-elections with his party going all out not only to retain the seat held by it but also to capture the two from BJP. PTI