The Karnataka Elections 2023 is just around the corner. As the state braces for a heated contest, here's a look at the electoral performance of prominent chief ministers in the last 15 years.
Since 2008, the state has gone to polls three times - 2008, 2013, and 2018.
B S Yediyurappa
Yediyurappa is a Lingayat strongman and holds a lot of clout in the state. He is a 4-time chief minister but hasn’t been successful in completing even a single term.
Year: 2008 [Party: BJP]
Constituency: Shikaripura
Yediyurappa contested from the Shikaripura Constituency. He secured 83,491 votes, beating S Bangarappa (37,564 votes) of the Samajwadi Party by a margin of 36.4 per cent.
Year: 2013 [Party: KJP]
Constituency: Shikaripura
This time, BSY contested on a Karnataka Jantha Paksha ticket and won the elections, securing 69,126 votes. He defeated H S Shanthaveerappagowda of Congress who secured 44,701 votes. BSY emerged victorious by a margin of 17.6 per cent.
Year: 2018 [Party: BJP]
Constituency: Shikaripura
In the 2018 elections, BSY again contested from Shikaripura, but on a BJP ticket. He went on to win the elections, securing 86,983 votes, defeating Goni Malatesha of Congress who secured 51,586 votes, by a margin of 23.0 per cent.
Siddaramaiah
Siddaramaiah of the Congress party is one of the few chief ministers who have completed a full term. Presently he is the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.
Year: 2008 [Party: Congress]
Constituency: Varuna
Siddarmaiah went on to win the elections by securing 71,908 votes as he defeated L. Revannasiddaiah of the BJP who secured 53,081 votes, winning by a margin of 13.2 per cent.
Year: 2013 [Party: Congress]
Constituency: Varuna
In 2013 again, Sidddaramaih threw his hat into the ring from the same constituency. This time too, he won the seat comfortably by securing 84,385 votes, defeating Kapu Siddalingaswamy of KJP who secured 54,744 votes. He won by a margin of 18.5 per cent and went on to become the CM.
Year: 2018 [Party: Congress]
Constituencies: Chamundeshwari and Badami
This time, Siddaramaiah decided to contest from two constituencies. In Chamundeshwari, he suffered ignominy as JDS’s G T Devegowda secured 121,325 votes while Siddaramaiah secured only 85,283 votes. Devegowda's margin of victory was 16 per cent.
In the distant Badami, Siddaramaiah secured 67,599 votes contesting against BJP’s Sriramulu who won 65,903 votes. Siddaramaiah actually scraped through by a slender margin of 1.0 per cent.
H D Kumaraswamy
Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) is a two-time CM. Earlier, both the BJP and Congress had joined hands with him to form coalition governments, but he has not completed a term as a full-time CM.
Year: 2008 [Party: JD(S)]
Constituency: Ramanagaram
In Ramanagaram, Kumaraswamy secured as many as 71,700 votes. M Rudresha of the BJP came second with 24,440 votes. HDK, as he is fondly called, won by a margin of 37 per cent.
Year: 2013 [Party: JD(S)]
Constituency: Ramanagaram
This year too, he won the elections by securing 83,447 votes. Maridevaru of the Congress came second with 58,049 votes. The victory margin was 17.1 per cent.
Year: 2018 [Party: JD(S)]
Constituencies: Channapatna and Ramanagaram
This time, HDK contested from two constituencies, enjoying a double delight. In Channapatna, HDK secured 87,995 votes. C P Yogeeshwara of the BJP came second with 66,465 votes. The victory margin recorded was 11.5 per cent.
In Ramanagaram, he secured 92,626 votes. Iqbal Hussain H A of the Congress came second by securing 69,990 votes. HDK recorded a victory margin of 13.3 per cent. Later, he relinquished the Ramanagaram constituency as his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy took over.
He went on to become the CM.
Jagadish Shettar
Though Jagadish Shettar helped increase BJP's presence in the state for years, his decision to defect to the Congress as he did not get a ticket to contest the 2023 polls, has earned him a lot of wrath. Many are of the opinion that he should have contested the elections independently.
Year: 2008 [BJP]
Constituency: Hubli-Dharwad Central
Jagadish Shettar won the elections in this constituency, by securing 58,747 votes. Munavalli Shankranna Ishwarappa of the Congress came second by securing 32,738 votes. Shettar romped home with a victory margin of 24.2 per cent.
Year: 2013 [BJP]
Constituency: Hubli-Dharwad Central
His success continued this time too, as Shettar secured 58,201 votes. Dr Mahesh Nalwad of Congress came second with 40,447 votes. Shettar enjoyed a handsome margin of 50 per cent.
Year: 2018 [BJP]
Constituency: Hubli-Dharwad Central
Shettar scored a hattrick of victories as he secured 75,794 votes. Dr Mahesh Nalwad of Congress ranked second with 54,488 votes. Shettar’s victory margin was 14.5 per cent.
Basavaraj Bommai
Basavaraj Bommai is the incumbent chief minister of the state. He was a member of the Janata Dal (United) but quit it and joined the BJP in 2008.
Year: 2008 [Party: BJP]
Constituency: Shiggaon
Bommai contested the 2008 elections from the Shiggaon constituency. He won the elections by securing 63,780 votes. Khadri Sayed Azeempeer Sayed Khadar Basha of the Congress party came second with 50,918 votes. The victory margin he registered was 10.4 per cent.
Year: 2013 [Party: BJP]
Constituency: Shiggaon
In 2013 too, he contested from the Shiggaon constituency. This time, he secured 73,007 votes. Khadri Sayed Azimpeer Sayed Kaderbasha of the Congress came second with 63,504 votes. The victory margin was 6.3 per cent.
Year: 2018 [Party: BJP]
Constituency: Shiggaon
This time too, Bommai won from the same constituency. He secured 83,868 votes. Sayed Azeempeer Khadri of the Congress came second with 74,603 votes. The incumbent CM's victory margin was 5.5 per cent.
(The data has been compiled from indiavotes.com)
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