Bypolls in Davangere South and Bagalkot could witness intense battle

The announcement of by-elections on April 9 for Davangere South and Bagalkot Assembly constituencies, two Assembly seats held by the ruling Congress, will spark an intense fight between the Congress, which wants to retain the seats, and the Opposition BJP, which expects the victory to be a vote against dispensation. The counting of votes will be done on May 4.

By-elections had to be held following the deaths of two former ministers, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and HY Meti, and the announcement came in the middle of the Budget session, which ends on March 27.

HY Meti

With the deadline for filing nominations being March 23, both the ruling and Opposition parties have just over a week to finalize their candidates and prevent a possible rebellion within their own ranks. The deadline for withdrawal of candidacy is March 26. A win here will give the victorious candidates a two-year term in office in the next Assembly elections scheduled for 2028.

The by-election for the Congress comes at a time when the party is experiencing confusion over leadership between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has been secretly pushing for change. Apart from the BJP’s rhetoric against the government for lack of development at the expense of funding guarantees, the ruling party is now stuck on the issue of internal reservation among Scheduled Castes and reduction of reservations for Scheduled Tribes.

The odds in Bagalkot have changed both ways since the 1999 elections; The BJP has won four of the six elections held so far. Former Minister and five-time legislator late HY Meti, who had earlier won from Guledgudda, won the 2013 and 2023 elections. In South Davangere, a new constituency was created after delimitation in 2008, with senior Congress leader and former Minister late Shamanur Shivaranakappa winning all the four elections held since then.

The Congress is witnessing an intense fight over the ticket in Davangere South, where the deceased leader’s family is keen for the ticket to be given to a family member. SS Mallikarjun, Minister of Mines and Horticulture and son of the late leader, represents Davangere North constituency, while his wife Prabha Mallikarjun represents Davangere Lok Sabha constituency. However, some of the Muslim leaders in the party are keen on having a Muslim candidate in the constituency, considering the high Muslim density in the constituency. Mr Mallikarjun has already made his displeasure public with the situation and criticized Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, who is believed to be lobbying for a Muslim candidate. Congress leaders will have to do a tightrope walk in selecting candidates.

In Bagalkot, the selection of candidates is narrowed down to family members; The late Meti’s two sons and two daughters are also among the candidates. It is believed that family members conveyed to the party leadership that the family would work together for the candidate the leadership chooses. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the party is ready for the by-elections.

From the opposition perspective, these two constituencies are being fought by the BJP as the JD(S) does not have a dominant presence here. The BJP has started its poll preparations by appointing in-charge leaders for both the constituencies and holding preliminary meetings. The names of the likely candidates have also been forwarded by the party’s State core committee to the Centre, which will take the final call.