Congress bags two seats in Karnataka, BJP one

The ruling Congress Monday wrested the prestigious Bellary (ST) seat and retained Chikkodi-Sadalga seat while the BJP won from Shikaripura in assembly by-elections in Karnataka.

N.Y. Gopalakrishna of the Congress trounced Obalesh of the Bharatiya Janata Party by 33,104 votes in the Bellary reserved constituency, 330 km from Bangalore.

Of the total votes polled, Gopalakrishna secured 83,906 and Obalesh 50,802.

The election was caused by the resignation of former BJP minister B.R. Sriramulu, who contested on the BSR ticket in the May 2013 assembly polls, on winning the Bellary Lok Sabha seat on BJP ticket.

In Chikkodi-Sadalga, Ganesh Hukkeri of the Congress won by 31,820 votes defeating K.M. Mallikarjun of the BJP.

The resignation of former Congress minister Prakash Hukkeri, father of Ganesh, after he won the Chikkodi Lok Sabha seat caused the by-election in this constituency, about 570 km from Bangalore.

In Shikaripura, B.Y. Raghavendra of the BJP defeated H.S. Shanthavirappa Gowda of the Congress by a slender margin of 6,430 votes to retain the seat.

The resignation of former BJP chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on winning from the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat necessitated the by-poll in Shikaripura in Malnad region, about 260 km from Bangalore.

The by-elections witnessed a record voter turnout in all three assembly segments, with 86 percent in Chikkodi, 72 percent in Shikaripura and 71 percent in Bellary.