WEB DESK

The BJP has suffered a huge loss byelections in Hanagal which falls in Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s home district Haveri. Congress won the bypolls, results of which were declared on Tuesday. The BJP, meanwhile, won the Sindgi seat, with party candidate Ramesh Bhusanur defeating the nearest rival from Congress by a whopping margin of 31,185 votes. Bhusanur secured 93,865 votes, while his closest rival Congress’ Ashok Managuli secured 62,680 votes.

In Hangal, Congress’ Srinivas Mane won by a margin of 7,373 votes, securing 87,490 votes, while his closest rival Shivaraj Sajjanar of BJP bagged 80,117 votes. The big loss in Hanagal has come as a shock to CM Bommai, who is just completing 100 days in office.

JD(S)’ Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi from Sindgi and Niyaz Shaikh from Hangal came a distant third, by securing 4,353 and 927 votes, respectively. The bypolls for two seats was necessitated as they had fallen vacant, following the death of Sindgi JD(S) legislator M C Managuli and BJP’s C M Udasi from Hangal.