Three bypolls in K'taka to have 'mega' impact on state politics

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

Voters in three Assembly constituencies in three different parts of Karnataka will cast their ballots on Wednesday and the results might be an indicator of which way the winds are blowing in the state after the Lok Sabha elections a few months ago. Sandur in Ballari district, Shiggaon in Haveri district and Channapatna in Ramanagar district have witnessed hectic campaigning for nearly a month. The results for the by-polls are expected on November 23. Channapatna, which was held by JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy, was vacated because he won the Mandya Lok Sabha segment in June and later landed a ministry in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.

CPY tries to regain seat: After much internal friction, five-time Channapatna MLA CP Yogeshwar jumped ship from the BJP to the Congress, where he landed the ticket for the seat. Meanwhile, JD(S) fielded party state youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy. The contest is a close one in the Vokkaliga-dominated seat where the politically influential caste makes up about 59 per cent of the seat. Both candidates are Vokkaligas and are backed by two major families from the landed caste. Nikhil comes from the JD(S) first family and is backed by father HD Kumaraswamy and grandfather and party patriarch HD Devegowda.

Yogeshwar on the other hand is backed by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh. JD(S) is trying to retain its last stronghold in Ramanagar district. Meanwhile, Congress is trying to complete a sweep of the district and regain lost ground from Suresh’s loss in the Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat.

Bommai looks to keep bastion: Former CM Basavaraj Bommai is trying to hold on to his pocket borough Shiggaon and has convinced the BJP high command to field his son Bharat. Bommai vacated Shiggaon after becoming the Haveri MP. Congress has given a second chance to Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, who lost to Bommai senior in 2023. Congressman Azeempeer Khadri filed his nomination as an independent but party bigwigs convinced him to withdraw.

Sandur stronghold besieged: Sandur, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), was represented four times by Congressman E Tukaram and his wife is now the party candidate. Tukaram, who comes from the Nayaka community, won the Ballari Lok Sabha seat and vacated Sandur. He had insisted on fielding someone from his family.