Bagalkot bypoll: BJP veteran Charantimath faces Meti’s son in high-stakes battle

Bagalkot: With the Congress finalising its candidate for the Bagalkot Assembly constituency, the stage is set for an intense contest in the upcoming by-election.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party has reposed faith in former MLA Veerabhadrayya (Veeranna) Charantimath - a three-time MLA (2004, 2008 and 2018) - the Congress, after prolonged deliberations, has finalised Umesh Meti, the younger son of former MLA H Y Meti.

Umesh Meti, a political newbie, will take on the experienced Charantimath, who is in the fray for the sixth consecutive time. Being new to electoral politics, he is expected to rely heavily on the support of senior state leaders to make an impact in the bypoll.

For the Congress, a victory in this bypoll is crucial as the result will be seen as a reflection of the performance of the incumbent government. For the BJP, winning the seat will serve as a major confidence booster ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. As a result, the bypoll is expected to draw considerable political attention across the state.

Rare distinction 

The Bagalkot Assembly constituency has the rare distinction of witnessing a bypoll for the third time.

The first bypoll was held in 1962 when S Nijalingappa won the seat following a significant political development. In the February 1962 general elections, Nijalingappa - then the Congress party’s chief ministerial face - lost in Hosadurga to Praja Socialist Party candidate G T Rangappa by 5,700 votes.

As Nijalingappa could not become chief minister without being a member of the Legislative Assembly, S R Kanthi, the MLA from Hungund, was sworn-in as a ‘protem’ chief minister in March 1962. To facilitate Nijalingappa’s entry into the Assembly, the sitting Congress MLA from Bagalkot Basappa T Muranal, resigned his seat as part of a political strategy. Nijalingappa subsequently won the by-election unopposed and was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Mysore State (now Karnataka) for his third term on June 21, 1962.

The second bypoll was held in 1998 after Ajaykumar Sarnayak, who had represented the constituency since 1994, resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Bagalkot in 1997. The bypoll helped the BJP open its account in the constituency, with P H Pujar defeating Congress candidate Channabasavaraj Koti by a margin of 16,731 votes.

The BJP retained the seat in 2004 with Veeranna Charantimath as its candidate.

He won again in 2008, but lost to Congress’ H Y Meti in 2013. Charantimath, however, regained the seat in 2018, and again lost to Meti in 2023 by 5,848 votes. The presence of Charantimath’s brother Mallikarjun Charantimath, who secured 10,116 votes, also affected the outcome.

Now, with the constituency heading for its third bypoll, political activity in the region has intensified.

2.59 lakh electors

The constituency has a total of 2,59,260 voters, including 1,26,761 men and 1,32,476 women. There are 319 polling stations - 176 in rural areas and 143 in urban areas. The electorate also includes 4,188 young voters, 3,017 voters above 85 years of age, 2,633 persons with disabilities, 38 centenarians, and 391 service voters.  Being the dominant community, Lingayat votes hold the sway. Kurubas, SC/STs constitute a sizeable number of voters.

Umesh Meti