Karnataka bypolls: Voting underway in Bagalkot, Davanagere South; 22% turnout by 11 AM

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Apr 9, 2026: Voting is underway for the by-elections in Karnataka’s Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies on Thursday.

In Davanagere South, more than 2.31 lakh voters are expected to cast their votes across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting. In Bagalkot, over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are set to vote at 319 polling stations, where nine candidates are in the fray.

Officials said elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure smooth polling. Long queues were seen at several polling stations in both constituencies since morning.

22.01% polling recorded

By 11 am, Davanagere South recorded a voter turnout of 22.01%, with 50,870 of the total 2,31,072 voters having exercised their franchise.

The bypolls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa.

While the results may not immediately alter the political landscape of the state, the contests are being viewed as a prestige battle between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP.

The Congress is striving to retain both seats, whereas the BJP is aiming to capture them and deliver a political blow to the ruling party, which is currently grappling with internal leadership issues.

The BJP has fielded former MLA Veerabhadrayya Charantimath in Bagalkot and introduced a new face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, in Davanagere South.

The Congress has nominated family members of the deceased legislators in both constituencies. Umesh Meti, son of H Y Meti, is contesting from Bagalkot, while Samarth Mallikarjun, grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa, is in the fray from Davanagere South.

Samarth’s father, S S 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.

The BJP is looking to gain momentum through these bypolls ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections, while for the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial to avoid perceptions of public dissatisfaction with the current government.

In Davanagere South, the Congress is also facing concerns over possible Muslim vote fragmentation. With 14 of the 25 candidates belonging to the community, party leaders fear a split in votes could work in favour of the BJP, according to reports.