Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Monday described the Congress’ victory in the bypolls to the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies as a reflection of both his government’s performance and the enduring appeal of the party’s ideology.
In the results announced by the Election Commission of India, Congress candidate Samarth Mallikarjun won the Davanagere South seat by 5,708 votes, while Umesh Meti secured Bagalkot with a margin of 22,332 votes.
The bypolls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs HY Meti from Bagalkot and Shamanur Shivashankarappa from Davanagere South. Voting was held on April 9.
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In his statement, Siddaramaiah thanked voters for supporting Congress candidates and said the outcome reflected public approval of the government’s work. He also claimed that despite misinformation campaigns and the influence of money power, voters reaffirmed their trust in the party.
“We are committed to honouring this trust across the state and are confident of continued public support in the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D. K. Shivakumar said the results showed that people had renewed their faith in the party. “The people are telling us they want us to lead Karnataka again, and we will,” he said.
AICC General Secretary incharge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala also welcomed the outcome, calling it a victory of ‘Kannada Swabhimana’, Congress guarantees, party workers, and the leadership of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
In a post on X, Surjewala said the Congress had decisively won both seats, defeating the BJP, and credited the victory to coordinated efforts by the state leadership, ministers, MLAs, MPs, and grassroots workers.
He also congratulated winners Samarth Mallikarjun and Umesh Meti, describing the results as a collective mandate for the party’s leadership and organisation in Karnataka.
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