Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday registered his fourth consecutive victory from the Shiggoan constituency in Haveri district, defeating his nearest rival Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan of the Congress by a margin of 35,341 votes.
The BJP leader bagged 99,073 votes against 63,732 polled by Pathan. JD(S)'s Shashidhar Yeligar was in third place with 13,794 votes.
The 63-year-old Bommai, who is the son of former Karnataka chief minister and Janata Parivar veteran late S R Bommai, had in the 2018 Assembly polls defeated the Congress' Sayed Azeempeer Khadri by a margin of 9,265 votes.
The 2008 and 2013 polls also witnessed a close fight between Bommai and Khadri with the former emerging victorious by a margin of 12,862 and 9,503 votes respectively. The 2008 state election was Bommai's first as a BJP candidate after quitting the Janata Dal (United).
Shiggoan, which was once considered a Congress stronghold, has not been won by the grand old party since. The JD(S) won the seat in 1999 and an Independent candidate in 2004.
Mr Bommai started his political career with the Janata Dal and was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council twice -- in 1998 and 2004 -- from Dharwad local authorities constituency.
He served as parliamentary secretary to the chief minister and as deputy leader of the opposition, before quitting Janata Dal (United) and joining BJP in 2008. Mr Bommai, who served as home minister in the B S Yediyurappa-led government since 2019 became the chief minister in 2021, after the veteran leader stepped down from the post.
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