Sat Nov 23 20:03:42 UTC 2024: ## Congress Sweeps Karnataka By-Elections, Dealing Blow to BJP-JDS Alliance

**Bengaluru, [Date]** – The Congress party secured a resounding victory in the Karnataka by-elections held on Saturday, winning all three contested seats: Channapatna, Sandur, and Shiggaon. This significant win marks a major setback for the BJP-JDS alliance, the state’s opposition.

The results saw the defeat of two prominent sons of former chief ministers. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, lost the Channapatna seat to Congress candidate CP Yogeshwara by over 25,000 votes. This is Kumaraswamy’s third electoral defeat, dashing his hopes of entering the state assembly. In Shiggaon, Bharat Bommai, son of former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, was defeated by Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan by over 13,000 votes. This loss is considered a significant blow to the BJP in the Kittur Karnataka region.

In Sandur, Congress candidate E Annapoorna, wife of senior Congress leader E Tukaram, triumphed over BJP’s Bangaru Hanumantappa, a Kannada actor and close aide to mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, by over 9,000 votes.

The Congress attributed its success to its popular guarantee schemes and development initiatives. Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar declared the party’s intention to remain in power until 2033, criticizing the BJP for making false allegations. The by-elections were necessitated after the winning candidates vacated their seats to contest the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.

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