Bagalkote: Congress Candidate Umesh Meti Maintains Lead Over BJP's Charantimath

Bagalkot : Early trends from the ongoing counting of votes in Bagalkote indicate a consistent lead for Congress candidate Umesh Meti over BJP’s Veeranna Charantimath, though the final result is yet to be declared.

The seat witnessed a direct fight between Congress Party’s Umesh Meti and BJP’s Veeranna Charantimath.

Congress took an early lead in the first round itself, polling 6,106 votes against BJP’s 2,899 — a margin of 3,207 votes. The lead widened steadily in the initial rounds, with Congress reaching 27,314 votes by the fifth round compared to BJP’s 13,923.

By the sixth round, the gap had stretched to 15,457 votes, with Congress at 32,363 and BJP at 16,906. While the margin narrowed slightly in later rounds, Congress continued to stay comfortably ahead.

In the eighth round, Congress led by 10,881 votes (37,202 to 26,321), followed by a lead of 11,809 votes in the ninth round (41,206 to 29,397). After the 10th round, the party maintained a lead of 11,384 votes, polling 44,620 against BJP’s 33,236.

At the end of the 12th round, Congress remained ahead by 10,534 votes, with a total of 50,432 votes compared to BJP’s 39,898.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA HY Meti, with the Congress fielding his son Umesh Meti, who is contesting his first election. The seat has drawn attention with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah taking a personal interest, given his long association with the Meti family.

BJP candidate Veeranna Charantimath, a two-time MLA, is seeking to regain the seat for the party.

Counting is still in progress.