Published Apr 09, 2026 | 4:23 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 09, 2026 | 4:25 PM
BJP's Veerabhadrayya Charantimath made the allegation after casting his vote.
Synopsis: BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath alleged that he had received information that cash was being distributed among some people in the region. Karnataka BJP shared the video of a man distributing cash on X, and urged Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer to act.
The BJP accused the Congress of distributing cash to woo voters in Bagalkot as the bypoll in the Assembly segment progressed on Thursday, 9 April.
The allegation was raised after the video of a man, purportedly a local Congress worker, distributing cash, went viral on social media.
After casting his vote, the BJP candidate, Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, alleged that he had received information that cash was being distributed among some people in the region.
Karnataka BJP shared the video on X, and urged Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer to take action.
“After being in power for nearly 3 years, and even with the CM himself camping in Bagalkot, resorting to vote-buying to win the election shows the true credentials of the Karnataka government,” the BJP said on X.
Incidentally, the cash-for-vote allegation was levelled a day after a similar charge was raised against the BJP candidate, Sobha Surendran, in Kerala’s Palakkad.
Bagalkot posts 55% turnout at 3 pm
Charantimath, a seasoned politician, has been pitted against first-timer Umesh Meti of the Congress. The bypoll was necessitated by the death of the sitting MLA and Umesh’s father, HY Meti.
According to the Election Commission, Bagalkot posted a voter turnout of 54.82 percent till 3 pm. Bagalkot has a total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters. Nine candidates are in the fray.
Besides Bagalkot, polling is also on at Devanagere South. The bypoll was necessitated by the demise of Shamanur Shivashankarappa of the Congress. At 3 pm, the voter turnout stood at 49.66 percent.
By-elections in Bagalkot and Devanagere South are being held simultaneously with Assembly polls in Assam, Puducherry and Kerala. The results are expected on 4 May, after the completion of polls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
While polling in Tamil Nadu will be held on 23 April, West Bengal will poll in two phases, on 23 and 29 April.
