Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 23 (ANI): While Congress may have lost in the crucial state of Maharashtra, it has reason to celebrate in Karnataka, where it won all three assembly bypolls. Congress' Yasir Pathan defeated former CM Basavaraj Bommai's son in Shiggaon, while BJP turncoat CP Yogeshwara triumphed over HD Kumaraswamy's son by a massive margin in Channapatna. Congress' Annapoorna Tukaram received the winning certificate from the returning officer after securing 93,616 votes, defeating BJP's Bangara Hanumantha by 9,649 votes in Sandur.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday celebrated Congress's victory in the bypolls, calling it "a message from the people."

Shivakumar praised the Congress victory, stating, 'I don't say it is a defeat of Bharath Bommai, it's a message from the people for what his father did. Only two things work—development and guarantees. It is a message from the people that allegations should stop, and the focus should be on work. This is the beginning, and we will come back to power in 2028.'

Shivakumar also targeted the BJP, saying that despite numerous allegations against the CM, nothing worked in their favor. 'Time and again, both parties criticised us and blamed us. We are spending around Rs 55,000 crore for the people, for development. People are benefiting from the Gurhalakshmi, Gruhajyothi, and other schemes. This is just the beginning, and we will come back to power in 2028 again. Opposition parties made several false allegations against the CM, ministers, and the government. All these never worked for BJP and JD(S),' he said.

'Kamala (lotus) should be in the lake, JD(S) must be in the field' (a pun on the JD(S) symbol). 'You should see your face in the mirror. The people have rejected your allegations against the Chief Minister. In Shiggaon, Sandur, and Channapatna, people have rejected the statements made by BJP and NDA leaders. Their alliance will never work in Karnataka,' he added.

Ahead of the elections, in October, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had stated, 'Since Shiggaon is the constituency I represent, I carry a greater responsibility. Our party's Karnataka in-charge secretary, Radha Mohan Agarwal, visited the constituency and held meetings with local leaders to gather feedback. We are fully prepared for the election there, and I am confident of receiving substantial support. I believe we will secure a winning margin similar to the 36,000 votes I received in the previous election.'

Early trends had initially shown Bharath Bommai leading as counting began for the 2024 Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly Elections, alongside bypoll results from 15 states. The bypolls were held across 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats.

(ANI)