Karnataka Bypoll Results 2026 LIVE: Congress wins Bagalkot, leads in Devanagara South

The final results are in for Davanagere South and the Indian National Congress has successfully defended its bastion. Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna has been declared the winner, securing 69,578 votes and maintaining the legacy of the Shamanur family in this high-stakes battle.

In what proved to be one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 bypolls, Samarth defeated the BJP’s Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa by a final margin of 5,708 votes. Despite the BJP making significant inroads in the early rounds, they finished with 63,870 votes, unable to bridge the gap in the final stages of counting.

In Round 23 of 24, the Indian National Congress has practically sealed its victory in Davanagere South. Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna has slightly widened his lead to 5,477 votes, reaching a total of 69,302. The BJP's Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa trails with 63,825 votes and with only one round remaining, the math makes a BJP comeback nearly impossible.

As counting enters the penultimate stage in Davanagere South (Round 20 of 24), the Indian National Congress is on the verge of a hard-fought victory. Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna has stabilized his lead at 4,967 votes, bringing his total to 67,576.

Despite a strong early showing and a persistent challenge, the BJP’s Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa is running out of road, currently sitting at 62,609 votes. Meanwhile, Afsar Kodlipete of the SDPI has secured a significant 18,471 votes, confirming his role as a major third-party factor in this election.

With the final round of counting concluded (23/23), Umesh Hullappa Meti has secured a resounding victory for the Indian National Congress in Bagalkot. Meti finished with a massive total of 98,919 votes, defeating the BJP’s veteran Charantimath Veerabhadrayya (Veeranna) by a definitive margin of 22,332 votes. While Veeranna managed to secure 76,587 votes, it wasn't enough to overcome the consistent momentum Meti maintained throughout the day.

As counting enters the critical final stretch in Round 15 of 21, the race in Davanagere South remains highly competitive, though the Congress is maintaining its edge. Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna currently leads with 49,237 votes, but his margin has tightened slightly to 6,023 votes over the BJP.

The BJP’s Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa is fighting to close the gap, sitting at 43,214 votes, while Afsar Kodlipete of the SDPI has reached 15,859 votes.

The momentum in Davanagere South has swung decisively back toward the Indian National Congress. Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna has fortified his position, now leading by a substantial 8,813 votes with a total of 44,028. This marks a significant recovery from the morning's tight race, as the Congress candidate continues to pull away from the BJP.

Meanwhile, the BJP's Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa trails with 35,215 votes, and the SDPI’s Afsar Kodlipete remains a notable factor in the tally with 15,207 votes.

With only a few rounds remaining, Umesh Hullappa Meti has effectively placed one hand on the trophy in Bagalkot. As of Round 19 of 23, the Congress candidate has surged to a commanding lead of 14,875 votes, bringing his total to 78,482.

Despite a seasoned campaign, the BJP’s Charantimath Veerabhadrayya (Veeranna) is trailing significantly with 63,607 votes.

As the counting moves into Round 9 of 21, the tide has firmly turned in favour of the Congress in Davanagere South. Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna has not only maintained his newfound lead but has extended it to 3,986 votes, bringing his total tally to 30,530.

The BJP’s Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa is now struggling to keep pace, currently trailing with 26,544 votes.

In a dramatic turn of events in Davanagere South, Congress candidate Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna has staged a stunning comeback, overtaking the BJP to seize the lead. Erasing a massive deficit from the previous rounds, Samarth now leads by a slim margin of 1,073 votes, bringing his total to 27,050.

The BJP’s Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa has slipped to second place with 25,977 votes, while the SDPI’s Afsar Kodlipete continues to draw a significant share with 8,099 votes.

The gap is narrowing in Davanagere South as Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa of the BJP sees his lead shrink significantly. His advantage, which previously stood at over 8,500, has dropped to 3,925 votes as Congress’s Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna gains ground with 21,953 votes. Adding a new layer to the contest, Afsar Kodlipete of the SDPI has entered the fray with 5,384 votes.

In Bagalkot, Umesh Hullappa Meti continues to maintain a strong grip on the contest, crossing the 50,000-vote mark to reach 50,432 votes. While his lead has slightly narrowed from the previous round, he still holds a comfortable cushion of 10,534 votes over the BJP’s Charantimath Veerabhadrayya (Veeranna), who has climbed to 39,898 votes.

The BJP’s momentum in Davanagere South is turning into a significant surge as Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa nearly doubles his previous lead, now standing 8,539 votes ahead of the Congress. With 25,728 votes in his pocket, Dasakariyappa is putting immense pressure on Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna, who currently trails with 17,189 votes.

The Congress party is pulling away in Bagalkot as Umesh Hullappa Meti extends his dominant lead to 12,710 votes. With 34,483 votes now in his favour, Meti has built a significant cushion against the BJP’s Charantimath Veerabhadrayya (Veeranna), who currently stands at 21,773 votes.

In Davanagere South, the BJP is strengthening its grip as Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa has widened his lead to 4,683 votes. Currently polling 14,058 votes, the BJP candidate is successfully fending off the Shamanur family’s influence, leaving Congress’s Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna trailing with 9,375 votes. This shift is particularly significant given that the seat has been a Congress bastion for nearly two decades, suggesting that the BJP’s strategy to challenge the local dynasty is yielding early results. 

Umesh Hullappa Meti has surged ahead with a commanding lead of 8,623 votes over his closest rival. Currently, Meti has secured 16,935 votes, effectively doubling the tally of the BJP’s veteran candidate, Charantimath Veerabhadrayya (Veeranna), who trails with 8,312 votes.

BJP's Srinivas T. Dasakariyappa is leading in Devanagara South. He is leading by 2777 votes. Congress leader Samarth Mallikarajun is trailing. 

Congress leader Umesh Meti is leading in Bagalkot. He has extended his lead with an advantage of 5016 votes. In total, 10996 votes are in his favour as per early trends. BJP's Charantimath Veerabhadrayya is second in the race. 

Shrinivasa T. Dasakariyappa of the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in Devanagara South. He is leading by 577 votes. Samarth Mallikarjuna of Congress is trailing at second. 

Umesh Meti of Congress in leading in Bagakot. As per ECI, he is leading by 3207 votes. BJP are trailing at two. 

The counting of votes in Devanagara South got delayed. The counting of the postal ballots is now in the completion stage. 

According to officials, 14 tables each have been set up for vote counting on EVMs at counting centres both in Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly segments. 

The counting has begun at Davanagere South and Bagalkot. The postal ballot counting will begin now, while the EVM counting will begin on 8:30 pm.

The large minority population in Davanagere South sparked a debate over the lack of a Muslim candidate for the bypoll. Addressing this unrest, Shamanur Shivashankarappa noted that while the party had fielded a Muslim candidate in the past who secured 26,000 votes, the current selection was based on a collective decision prioritising "winning possibility" and other strategic factors. He reassured the community that the party remains committed to representing all groups, emphasising that inclusive representation across different communities continues to be a priority.

To ensure a smooth counting process and prevent any post-result unrest, top police officials have deployed heavy security across both constituencies. Counting is set to begin soon at the University of Horticultural Sciences in Bagalkot and DRR School in Davanagere, with 14 tables set up at each venue to process the EVM data. Officials are overseeing the tallies for a total of 9 candidates in Bagalkot and 25 candidates in Davanagere South, with strict measures in place to maintain order until the final declarations are made.

Voting Date: April 9  

Total Voters: 259,797  

Votes Cast: 178,584

Turnout: 68.74%  

Candidates in the Fray: 9

Voting took place on April 9

Total voters: 231,072

Votes cast: 158,131

Turnout: 68.4%

Candidates in the fray: 25

This constituency saw one of the most decisive victories for the Congress in the central Karnataka region.

The Winner: Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Congress)  

The Runner-up: B.G. Ajay Kumar (BJP)  

The Numbers: Shivashankarappa polled 84,298 votes, whereas Ajay Kumar managed 56,410 votes.  

Victory Margin: A massive 27,888 votes.

The 2023 election in Bagalkot was a direct rematch between two longtime rivals.

The Winner: H.Y. Meti (Congress)  

The Runner-up: Veeranna Charantimath (BJP)  

The Numbers: H.Y. Meti secured 79,336 votes, while Veeranna Charantimath received 73,458 votes.  

Victory Margin: Meti won by a margin of 5,878 votes.

The by-election essentially became a battle between the established Shamanur legacy and the BJP's attempt to break their long-standing stronghold:

Congress (INC): Fielded Samarth Mallikarjun, who is the grandson of the late Shamanur Shivashankarappa and the son of State Minister S.S. Mallikarjun. The party relied on the deep-rooted influence of the family and a sympathy wave following the patriarch's death.

BJP: Fielded Srinivas T. Dasakariyappa, the State Vice-President of the BJP's ST Morcha. The BJP focused its campaign on issues of "non-accessibility" of the Shamanur family and aimed to consolidate Lingayat and SC/ST votes.

Other Notables: The election also saw a significant number of independent candidates and smaller parties, including the SDPI (Afsar Kodlipete), making it a complex multi-cornered contest.

The bypoll in Davanagere South was necessitated by the passing of the veteran Congress leader and sitting MLA, Shamanur Shivashankarappa. He passed away on December 14, 2025, at the age of 94. He was the oldest serving MLA in India at the time of his death and had represented Davanagere South continuously since the constituency was created in 2008.

The election turned into a high-profile battle between the state's two dominant parties:  

Congress (INC): Fielded Umesh Meti, the son of the late H.Y. Meti. His candidacy was seen as an effort to retain the seat through a "sympathy wave" and family legacy.  

BJP: Fielded Veeranna Charantimath, a former MLA from this constituency and a prominent rival to the Meti family.

Uttama Prajaakeeya Party: A party founded by Kannada actor Upendra that focuses on "Prajaakeeya" (worker-centric/pro-people) concepts rather than traditional politics. Anthosh Savase represents them.

The bypoll election in the Bagalkot Assembly constituency was primarily necessitated by the death of the sitting MLA, H.Y. Meti, a veteran Congress leader and former minister.

Counting of votes for the Assam by-election will begin at 8 am. Stay tuned with India TV for all the LIVE updates on the Assam by-election results here.