Published Apr 09, 2026 | 8:47 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 09, 2026 | 8:47 AM
Voters in a Karnataka polling booth. (File image)
Synopsis: Voting is underway for bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka — Bagalkot and Davanagere South. The polls were necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs HY Meti in Bagalkot and Shamanur Shivashankarappa in Davanagere South.
Voting is underway for bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka — Bagalkot and Davanagere South — on Thursday, 9 April.
The polls were necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs HY Meti in Bagalkot and Shamanur Shivashankarappa in Davanagere South.
In Bagalkot, a total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations, with nine candidates in the fray. In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The contest is being seen as a matter of prestige for both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP. The Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats while the BJP is aiming to wrest them.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Umesh Meti is the son of HY Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth’s father, SS Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, HY Meti defeated Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP’s B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday urged people in Bagalkot and Davanagere South to cast their vote for the ‘pulse of development’.
“My heartfelt appeal to every family in Bagalkot and Davanagere South: Cast your vote without fail today for the all-round progress of the constituency. Your single vote is not just a mark; it is a powerful weapon that shapes a beautiful future for the constituency,” Shivakumar said in a post on X.
