Congress Retains Davanagere South, Bagalkot in Karnataka Bye-Polls

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, May 4, 2026: The Congress retained both the Davanagere South and Bagalkot Assembly seats in the Karnataka bye-elections counted on Monday, strengthening its position in the state Assembly.

In Davanagere South, Congress candidate Samarth Mallikarjun, grandson of senior Lingayat leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa, defeated BJP’s Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa by 5,708 votes. Samarth secured 69,578 votes after overcoming an early BJP lead during counting.

The bypoll, however, exposed internal tensions within the Congress over the denial of a ticket to a Muslim candidate in the constituency, which has a sizeable Muslim voter base. The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) emerged as a significant factor, with candidate Afsar Kodlipete securing 18,975 votes, or around 12% of the vote share, a sharp rise from less than 1% in the 2023 Assembly polls.

Samarth’s vote share dropped to 43%, compared to the 57% secured by Shamanur Shivashankarappa in the 2023 election, indicating erosion in Congress support. The BJP improved its vote share marginally to 40%.

The constituency also witnessed controversy after senior Congress leaders accused some Muslim leaders within the party of not actively campaigning for the official candidate. The party later removed minority cell leader Abdul Jabbar and stripped MLC Naseer Ahmed of his post as the Chief Minister’s political secretary.

In Bagalkot, Congress candidate Umesh Meti, son of former minister H.Y. Meti, defeated BJP’s Veerabhadrayya Charantimath by 22,332 votes. Umesh secured 98,919 votes, significantly improving the Congress’ margin from the narrow victory recorded in the 2023 Assembly election.

The bye-elections were necessitated following the deaths of sitting legislators Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H.Y. Meti. Senior Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar, campaigned extensively in both constituencies.