Hat-trick Defeat: Nikhil Kumaraswamy Faces Third Consecutive Defeat as Cong Dominates Bypolls

Hattrick Hero Nikhil Kumaraswamy Falls Short as Congress Sweeps Karnataka Bypolls

The Congress party secured a resounding victory, winning all three seats in the bypolls held on November 13 for Shiggaon, Sandur, and Channapatna constituencies. The elections were necessitated after the sitting MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha in May this year.

The constituencies were vacated by Congress leader E Tukaram in Sandur, BJP’s Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon, and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy in Channapatna. The bypolls saw intense campaigning, underscoring the high stakes for all major parties.

In Channapatna, JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the son of HD Kumaraswamy and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, suffered another defeat. Congress candidate CP Yogeshwar, an actor-turned-politician, won by a decisive margin of 25,357 votes. This marks Nikhil’s third consecutive electoral loss, following unsuccessful bids in the Mandya Lok Sabha and Ramanagara Assembly elections. The Deve Gowda family had hoped Nikhil would end his losing streak, but he fell short again.

Adding intrigue to Channapatna was CP Yogeshwar’s recent switch from the BJP to Congress, which bolstered his prospects in the high-stakes contest.

In Shiggaon, Yasir Khan Pathan of the Congress defeated Bharath Bommai, son of former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, by over 13,000 votes. Bharath, who leaned heavily on his family’s strong political legacy, failed to secure the seat against Pathan’s campaign.

In Sandur, Congress candidate E Annapurna, the wife of former MP E Tukaram, emerged victorious, defeating BJP’s Bangaru Hanumanthu by over 8,000 votes.

These bypoll results reaffirm Congress’s dominant position in Karnataka, delivering a significant blow to its rivals, the BJP and JD(S).