Bypolls in two Assembly seats in Karnataka delivered a mixed verdict for the ruling BJP. However, the results came as a major setback to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as the party lost the Hangal seat in Haveri district, which is Bommai's home turf.
The Hangal seat that fell vacant after the demise of veteran BJP leader C.M. Udasi was wrested by Congress’s Srinivas Mane who defeated BJP’s Shivaraj Sajjanar by 7,373 votes. This despite the district being represented by BJP’s Shivakumar Udasi (son of late C.M. Udasi) in the Parliament and the chief minister staying put in Hangal for 10 days during the campaign.
A victory in Hangal would have helped Bommai cement his position as a powerful Lingayat leader as this is the first bypoll after he replaced B.S. Yediyurappa as the chief minister in July. However, the defeat has exposed several lacunae in both the BJP and Bommai’s poll strategy.
According to BJP sources, Bommai and the BJP failed to decipher a winning formula in Hangal unlike late Udasi who had been successful in garnering the support of not just the Lingayat voters but also the smaller communities. JD(S) candidate Niyaz Shaikh came a distant third with a mere 866 votes.
In Sindagi, the BJP scripted a success story that could perhaps work as a template for the 2023 general elections. BJP’s Ramesh Bhusanur defeated Congress’s Ashok Managuli with a huge margin of 31,008 votes. The constituency in Vijayapura district had fallen vacant after the demise of JD(S) MLA and former minister M.C. Managuli. The Congress had chosen to field Ashok Managuli (son of the deceased MLA) in the hope of wresting the seat on the sympathy factor. The poll outcome is an indication that the Lingayat vote bank has remained intact with the BJP, despite the Congress fielding a candidate belonging to the Panchamasali sect (which is demanding reservation under 2A category) to split the Lingayat vote.
The BJP’s united efforts in Sindagi seems to have paid off. While senior BJP leaders and ministers including Laxman Savadi, V. Somanna and C.C. Patil camped in the villages to win the support of the smaller but decisive communities, they also held together the dominant Lingayat votes. The extensive campaigning by B.S. Yediyurappa and Bommai also helped the party deliver an impressive victory. The JD(S) which had fielded Naziya Angadi eyeing the women and minority votes failed to benefit as she could secure only 4,353 votes. With the two bypolls turning out to be a straight fight between the ruling BJP and the Congress, the JD(S) has a lot to ponder over.
“The people of Hangal have voted out the BJP despite the chief minister, cabinet ministers, former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his son camping in the constituency. People want change. There is anti-incumbency in both the state and the Centre. In Sindagi, I suspect the lack of coordination between the Congress and JD(S) party workers (after Ashok Managuli quit JD(S) to contest on a Congress ticket) resulted in our defeat. The Congress will make a grand comeback in 2023 as people are fed up of the BJP,” said Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah.
Former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy alleged that the Congress party had hijacked their candidate Ashok Managuli in Sindagi. He, however, said: “We have realised that we need to strengthen the party at the grassroots and we will focus on 2023.”
Former prime minister H.D. Devegowda alleged that both the BJP and the Congress had spent huge money for the byelections. “How many votes did Congress win after hijacking our party candidate? How can you say there is only BJP and Congress? Devegowda is still alive. Even at 89, I am going to put up a fight,” he said.
“In Sindagi, our candidate Ramesh Bhusanur has won with a huge margin of 30,000 votes. But our defeat in Hanagal was unexpected as it was conducive (for a BJP win). We will introspect and rectify our mistakes. This is not a referendum to the 2023 polls. At the same time, the Congress need not beam with pride over its victory in Hangal. The BJP will win 140 seats in 2023 and retain power,” said Yediyurappa, who refused to attribute the defeat to Bommai’s leadership.
“It is wrong to blame it on any single person as the party went to the polls under collective leadership,” said Yediyurappa.
KPCC president D.K Shivakumar said the Congress party had gained in both the seats though it could win only one seat. “The BJP wrested the seat from JD(S) in Sindagi and the Congress has wrested the seat from BJP in Hangal. So, it shows the people are seeking change. The defeat in Hangal is a loss of face for not just Bommai but the BJP and the government. I salute the self-respecting voters of Hangal for rejecting the BJP. The Hangal bypoll result has exposed the BJP’s infighting. I had stated that BJP would be washed away in Yediyurappa’s tears and I stand by my statement,” claimed Shivakumar.
