The Congress has made a clean sweep in the Karnataka bye-elections, winning all three Assembly seats—Channapatna, Shiggaon, and Sandur. The victories bolstered the ruling party’s position in the state and dealt a blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) NDA ally, the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)).

Veteran politician CP Yogeshwar, who switched to Congress from the BJP before the bye-polls, clinched the Channapatna seat with a commanding margin of 25,000 votes. Yogeshwar’s sixth victory came at the expense of Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who represented the NDA.

The Channapatna bypoll turned into a proxy war within the Vokkaliga community. On one side was HD Kumaraswamy, who vacated the seat after winning the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, and on the other was Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, aiming to solidify Congress’s influence in the region. While Shivakumar’s brother and former MP, DK Suresh, was said to be considered as a candidate, it was Yogeshwar, who jumped ship from BJP,  who was announced as the candidate. 

Addressing the media after the win, Yogeshwar said that emotional appeals and sentimental rhetoric didn’t influence the polls. “We worked together to secure the victory, and the voters are losing confidence in the Deve Gowda family,” he said.

Knives are likely to be out for the BJP from the JD(S), as many felt that the BJP did not extend adequate support during campaigning. BJP Leader of Opposition R Ashoka took a dig at Nikhil, saying he was unlucky and that they expected him to be 'Arjuna', but the people had handed him ‘Abhimanyu’s’ role. “Considering his earlier two defeats, we thought we would win this time,” he said.

Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, lost his first election in 2019 for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat to independent candidate Sumalatha. Nikhil's political prospects were further dimmed when he was defeated by Congress's Iqbal Hussain in the 2023 Assembly elections in Ramanagara. Nikhil was said to be reluctant to contest but had agreed due to demands by party workers, his grandfather and JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda had said earlier.

Yasir Pathan triumphs in Shiggaon

In Shiggaon, Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan delivered a stunning victory for Congress, defeating Bharath Bommai, son of former CM and now Haveri MP, Basavaraj Bommai, by a margin of 13,446 votes. 

This victory is particularly significant as it breaks the BJP’s hold on the constituency, a traditional Lingayat stronghold that shifted to the saffron party during Basavaraj Bommai’s tenure.

Shiggaon, home to the Lingayat Panchamasali and Muslim communities, had been a Congress bastion for decades before Bommai’s defection to the BJP. Pathan’s victory marks the return of Congress dominance in the constituency, which last saw a Muslim candidate win in 2004.

E Annapoorna secures Sandur

Congress’s E Annapoorna won the Sandur seat with a margin of  9,645 votes, defeating the BJP's Bangaru Hanumantappa. This was a straightforward contest between Congress and BJP. The bye-poll was necessitated after Congress’ Sandur MLA E Tukaram had contested in Parliamentary elections earlier this year and won. Tukaram’s wife, Annapurna, thanked the voters for her win and said that people still remembered Janardhan Reddy and that he had not worked for Ballari district and the people. 

The bypolls, held on November 13, were necessitated after the sitting MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year. While Sandur and Shiggaon saw direct contests between Congress and BJP, the Channapatna race involved the BJP-JD(S) alliance against Congress.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar credited the Congress's guarantees and development initiatives for their performance in the bypolls. "Ultimately, criticisms fade away, but work endures—this has been proven. The voters have sent a clear message to the opposition to abandon baseless criticism and false propaganda," he said.