BJP wins in Sindagi, loses to Congress in Hanagal

Bengaluru: The by-election results, seen as the first test for the leadership of Basavaraj Bommai after he became chief minister in July, came as a shocker as the ruling BJP lost to the nearest rival Congress in his own backyard. However, the party won in Sindagi where BJP candidate Ramesh Bhusanur won by a margin of 31,573 votes against Congress rival Ashok Malappa Managuli. In a huge setback to the Janata Dal (S), its candidates lost deposits in both Hanagal and Sindagi.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, Ramesh secured 93,380 votes while Managuli got 62,292 votes.

BJP's Shivaraj Sajjanar was defeated in Hanagal by Congress candidate Srinivas Mane, who won by a margin of 7,426 votes. While Mane secured 87,300 votes, Sajjanar bagged 79,874 votes. The son of former JD(S) MLA and Congress' candidate Ashoka Managuli, suffered a crushing defeat. The BJP retained the constituency for the fifth consecutive time by defeating the Congress in Sindagi.

Despite former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and other JD(S) bigwigs camping in the Sindagi constituency, the party's candidate Nazia Angadi suffered a humiliating defeat and lost deposit.

As BJP candidate Ramesh Bhusanur was assured of victory in Sindagi, party workers and supporters broke into celebrations at the counting venue. Bhusanur explained that good work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa and incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai contributed to his victory. The results of the Hanagal assembly constituency which raised a lot of interest came as a surprise. Congress candidate Srinivas Mane won the seat by a margin of 7,598 votes against the BJP candidate in Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai's Haveri district.

The BJP's experiment to field Shivaraj Sajjanar boomeranged. Despite party bigwigs including Bommai, former CM BS Yediyurappa and other cabinet ministers campaigning, the tide turned in favour of the Congress. After 19 rounds of counting, Congress' Srinivas Mane got 87,113 votes, while Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP) secured 79,515 votes. JD(S) candidate Niyaz Shaikh suffered a humiliating defeat mustering only 921 votes and lost deposit.