Voting for RR Nagar, Sira bypolls to be held today

After weeks of spirited campaigning by political parties, voters from RR Nagar and Sira constituencies will exercise their franchise on Tuesday.

As many as 6.75 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise during the day, in a poll where both ruling and opposition parties have set their expectations high.

Bypolls to RR Nagar constituency was necessitated following the resignation of Muniratna as Congress MLA in 2019. The election in Sira was announced due the demise of JD(S)’ B Sathyanarayana in August this year. Muniratna is now the BJP candidate from RR Nagar and is pitted against Congress candidate H Kusuma and JD(S)’ V Krishnamurthy.

At Sira, Congress candidate T B Jayachandra is hoping for a seventh victory but is facing a tough contest from two debutantes. JD(S) has fielded Ammajamma, wife of the late MLA Sathyanarayana as a candidate, while BJP has fielded Dr CM Rajesh Gowda, son of former Congress MP C P Mudalagiriyappa.

While the poll outcome is immaterial to the BJP, since it enjoys a clear majority, the results are expected to be a reflection of the public sentiment regarding the state government. In Congress, D K Shivakumar is facing his first election as KPCC president and has made all efforts to secure a victory in both the constituencies, with his brother and Congress MP DK Suresh camped at RR Nagar.

Sira is expected to witness a three-way contest, but the prospects of JD(S) bolstered after JD(S) supremo campaigned for almost a week in the constituency.