Bengaluru, Nov 13 (UNI) An estimated 76.9 per cent voter turnout was recorded until 5 pm in three Karnataka Assembly constituencies – Shiggaon, Sandur, and Channapatna – where by-elections were held on Wednesday, election officials reported.
Over seven lakh voters were eligible to vote at approximately 770 polling stations across these segments.
Channapatna led with a record turnout of 84.26 per cent, followed by Shiggaon at 75.07 per cent, and Sandur at 71.47 per cent. The byelections in these constituencies were necessitated after their former representatives were elected to the Lok Sabha in May.
These include JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy from Channapatna, former BJP Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from Shiggaon, and Congress MLA E Tukaram from Sandur.
The final results are expected on November 23.
The Channapatna contest is of particular interest, with JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of H D Kumaraswamy and grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, facing off against Congress’s C P Yogeeshwara, a five-time MLA and former minister who recently joined Congress from BJP. Yogeeshwara expressed confidence in a favourable outcome after casting his vote.
In Shiggaon, the BJP’s Bharath Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai, is up against Congress party’s Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan. Basavaraj Bommai voiced optimism about his son’s chances, accusing Congress of leveraging government resources to sway the election.
In Sandur, Congress’s E Annapurna, wife of Bellary MP Tukaram, is running against BJP’s Bangaru Hanumanthu, a candidate with close ties to former mining magnate G Janardhan Reddy.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who campaigned extensively across the constituencies, expressed confidence in a Congress victory.
Security measures were heightened, ensuring a peaceful polling process, with a notable turnout among senior citizens, some arriving in wheelchairs to exercise their civic duty.
