Congress is heading towards victory in four out of five seats where bypolls were held.
Highlights
- Congress candidate defeated his BJP rival by a margin of 39,480 votes
- Jamakhandi bypoll after death of Congress legislator in road accident
- Congress fielded Siddu Nyamagouda's son in the by-election
The Congress has won the Jamakhandi assembly constituency in Karnataka, with its candidate Anand Siddu Nyamagouda defeating his BJP rival Srikant Kulkarni by a margin of 39,480 votes.
The BJP had fancied its chances of winning the seat, especially in the absence of a rebel candidate. In the assembly elections earlier this year, local BJP leader contested Sangamesh Nirani had contested as an independent and managed to secure 15.96 per cent of the votes. Congress candidate Siddu Nyamagouda won by a narrow margin of 2795 votes.
However, Mr Nyamagouda died in a road accident barely a few weeks after getting elected, necessitating the by-election. The Congress fielded Mr Nyamagouda's son in the election. While the BJP put up Mr Kulkarni, who had lost to the Congress in May, it managed to ensure that there are no rebels in the fray this time on.
Jamakhandi witnessed a high turnout of over 77 per cent when polling for the by-election took place on November 3.
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah congratulated Anand Siddu Nyamagouda for his performance in the election.