Published Mar 17, 2026 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 17, 2026 | 8:00 AM
The two seats became vacant after the deaths of two former ministers, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and HY Meti.
Synopsis: The Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies in Karnataka will go to the polls on 9 April, months after the deaths of former ministers HY Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa. The contests will be a straight fight between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. The saffron party is largely expected to refield the runners-up from the last election in the two seats, while the Congress is witnessing lobbying from family members of the two late MLAs and others.
Two assembly constituencies in Karnataka—Davanagere South and Bagalkot—will see a bipolar contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP in bypolls to be held on 9 April.
The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the polling schedule for the two seats, which became vacant after the deaths of two former ministers, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and HY Meti.
Shivashankarappa, the senior-most sitting legislator in the country, died at 94 in December 2025.
He was elected multiple times from Davanagere South as an MLA and once as an MP. Meti, a senior Congress leader and MLA from Bagalkot, died in November 2025 at 79.
The last date for filing nominations is 23 March. Both parties are expected to finalise their candidates in the next two to three days.
While the ruling Congress hopes to retain both seats previously held by its legislators, the BJP is looking to unseat the grand old party as it continues attacks on the government over the state’s finances and speculation about a leadership change.
Since coming to power in 2023, Congress has won all four bypolls in the state – Shorapur in May 2024, and Channapatna, Sandur and Shiggaon in November 2024.
In Channapatna and Shiggaon in particular, Congress unseated the sons of two former chief ministers—Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharat Bommai—dealing a blow to the BJP–JD(S) alliance.
The Bagalkot Assembly constituency has historically seen close contests, with the seat alternating between Congress and the BJP.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, Meti defeated the BJP’s Veeranna Charantimath by 5,878 votes. In 2018, Charantimath defeated Meti to win the seat; in 2013, he had lost to the Congress leader.
The BJP is likely to field Charantimath again in the upcoming bypoll.
On the other hand, Congress is likely to field a member of Meti’s family. Mallikarjun Meti, Meti’s eldest son, and Umesh Meti, the youngest, are among the contenders from the ruling party.
His daughters—Bayakka Meti, a former Zilla Panchayat member, and Mahadevi Meti—have also expressed interest in contesting.
“In Bagalkot, late HY Meti’s family members are also strong aspirants. It is not wrong to have aspirations; we (state leaders) will consider all aspects and recommend a candidate. The high command will make the final decision,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in response to questions from reporters about the bypolls.
In Davanagere South, the ruling party is also facing pressure from Shivashankarappa’s family members.
Minister SS Mallikarjun, Shivashankarappa’s son, is reportedly pushing for his son Samarth Mallikarjun to get the ticket. His wife, Prabha Mallikarjun, the Congress MP from Davanagere, became the constituency’s first woman MP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, a member of the Davanagere South Assembly by-election in-charge committee formed by the party, is reportedly pushing for the ticket to go to a Muslim candidate as Muslim voters form a key part of the electorate in Davanagere South.
Hence, the names of MLC Abdul Jabbar and KPCC vice-president ARM Hussain are also being floated.
The seat has long been considered a Congress stronghold, with Shivashankarappa winning from Davanagere South in 2013, 2018 and 2023.
Apart from Muslim voters, the Lingayat community also holds considerable sway in the electorate. Shivashankarappa was a prominent Lingayat leader and the national president of the Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha.
On the BJP’s side, BG Ajay Kumar, who lost to Shivashankarappa in 2023, is among the probable candidates.
Amid reports of internal differences among BJP ticket aspirants for the Davanagere South seat, Kumar, along with other party leaders including Rajashekhar Nagappa, the district BJP president, and Rajanahalli Shivakumar, former chairman of the Davanagere Urban Development Authority, both also aspiring for the ticket, held a press conference over the weekend to display unity.
Addressing questions from reporters earlier, State BJP President BY Vijayendra said the party had already held internal discussions to address dissatisfaction among members over the ticket.
“We have spoken about it within four walls. We have called everyone together and discussed it. We have conveyed the message that everyone should forget the past and work together in the interest of the party,” he said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
