Bagalkot By-Poll Announced, Congress and BJP Gear Up for Contest
Congress, BJP gear up for April 9 bypoll after death of MLA H. Y. Meti
Bagalkot: The summer heat in Bagalkot is set to be matched by rising political temperatures after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the by-election to the constituency following the death of sitting Congress MLA HY Meti in November last year.
Polling is scheduled to be held on April 9, with the results to be declared on April 13. The by-election is all set to trigger intense political activity in the constituency, with both the Congress and the BJP eyeing the seat.
For the ruling Congress, the by-poll is an opportunity to retain the seat and maintain its strength in the Assembly. The BJP, on the other hand, is eager to wrest the constituency and put the Congress on the defensive in a seat that has seen closely fought contests in recent years.
Even before the announcement of the poll schedule, leaders in both parties had begun lobbying for tickets. Within the Congress, several family members of the late Meti have also expressed interest in contesting, adding a personal dimension to the political battle.
The constituency has a long and varied electoral history. Since 1952, the Congress has emerged as the most successful party.
In the decades following Independence, the seat remained largely a Congress bastion, with leaders such as Muranal Basappa Tammanna and S Nijalingappa representing the constituency. Parappa Kalligudda won the seat for Congress I in the 1978 election.
The Congress first lost the constituency in 1983, when Gulappa Mantur won as an Independent candidate, marking the first major break in the party’s dominance.
In the 1985 assembly election, he contested from the Janata Party ticket and won the seat again.
The Janata Dal secured its first victory in 1989, when Ajaykumar Sarnaik won the election. He repeated the victory in the 1994 election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious for the first time in the constituency in 1998 by-election, when Pralhad Pujari won the seat and won it again in the 1999 assembly election. BJP continued the victory in the 2004 and 2008 elections with the victory of Veeranna Charantimath.
Over the last two decades, the contest in the constituency has largely been between the Congress and the BJP.
During this period, Congress leader HY Meti wrested the seat from the BJP and won the election in 2013. However, he lost in 2018, when Veeranna Charantimath made a comeback for the BJP. Meti regained the seat in the 2023 Assembly election, defeating Charantimath once again. The by-election is now being held following the death of Meti.
