The BJP won the Belgaum Lok Sabha and Basavakalyan Assembly segments in Karnataka in the bye-polls that were held on April 2. Meanwhile, the Congress was able to retain the Maski Assembly seat in the bye-polls, the results of which were declared on Sunday.
According to the Election Commission, in the Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency, BJP’s Mangala Suresh Angadi won by a margin of 3,986 votes. Her nearest rival and Congress candidate Satish Jarkiholi secured 4,36,868 votes. The election to the Belgaum Lok Sabha seat was necessitated after the death of BJP MP and late Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, who succumbed to COVID-19 last year. Mangala is the wife of Suresh Angadi. Jarkiholi is the Congress state working president and Yamakanmardi MLA in Belagavi district.
Shubhan Vikrant Shelke, an independent candidate backed by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti and Shiv Sena, garnered over 1.24 lakh votes and stood third in the Parliamentary seat.
In the Basavakalyan Assembly constituency, BJP's Sharanu Salagar defeated Congress candidate Mala B Narayan Rao, the wife of late Congress MLA Narayan Rao. He, too, died last year due to COVID-19, leaving the assembly segment vacant. Salagar garnered 38,999 votes against Mala, who got 27,406 votes. JD(S) candidate Sayed Yasrub Ali Quadri came in a distant third, with 9,509 votes, the EC officials said.
In Maski Assembly seat, Congress candidate Basanagauda Turvihal secured 86,222 votes and defeated his nearest rival Prathapagouda Patil with a huge victory margin of 30,606 votes. Patil is a former Congress MLA who had resigned from the Assembly in 2019 and later joined the BJP. His resignation had necessitated the bye-poll.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa greeted both the winning party candidates. Congratulating Mangala Angadi, Yediyurappa tweeted, "Heartfelt congratulations to Mangala Angadi for winning the Belgaum Lok Sabha bye-election."
Greeting Salagar, the CM tweeted, "My heartfelt thanks to all the voters who have blessed the Bharatiya Janata Party in the by-election to the Basavakalyan Assembly constituency. Congratulations to Sharanu Salagar, our candidate who won the confidence of the people of the constituency.”