Congress's 3-0 Karnataka bypoll sweep gives CM Siddaramaiah a lifeline
BENGALURU: Congress's 3-0 clean sweep of Karnataka bypolls Saturday is as much a bulwark for CM Siddaramaiah amid a corruption scandal as it is a blow to BJP-JDS alliance .
The governing party retained its stronghold of Sandur and wrested Shiggaon and Channapatna from BJP and JDS respectively, the latter two at the expense of third-generation scions of Gowda and Bommai families.
The governing party retained its stronghold of Sandur and wrested Shiggaon and Channapatna from BJP and JDS respectively, the latter two at the expense of third-generation scions of Gowda and Bommai families.
"Kamala (lotus) belongs to the lake, and JDS to the field. This victory is a rejection of baseless allegations against CM Siddaramaiah. It's a prelude to what we will achieve in 2028 assembly elections and a message to BJP-JDS to focus on development, not false claims," deputy CM and state Congress president D K Shivakumar said.
Congress now has 138 MLAs in the 224-strong assembly, more than double BJP's 66; JDS has 18. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of state JDS chief HD Kumaraswamy and grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda, suffered his third straight electoral defeat; while Bharath Bommai, son of Haveri BJP MP and ex-CM Basavaraj Bommai, lost at Shiggaon on his poll debut.
For Siddaramaiah, who has been facing calls for his resignation over Muda land-swap case in which he and his wife have been implicated, the bypoll verdict suggests a happy consolidation of "Ahinda" (Dalit, Muslim and OBC) votes.