BENGALURU, 23 NOV

The Congress' sweeping victory in the bypolls to three Assembly seats has bolstered Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's position amidst speculation of a leadership change following MUDA scam. The verdict gives a free hand to Siddaramaiah to revamp his Cabinet by dropping “non-performers”.

The results have once again indicated that other backward classes, minorities, scheduled castes and tribes continue to be the vote bank of Congress with the support from Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities bettering their prospects.

The Channapatna result has been a big blow for former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's family which has been claiming to be the voice of the Vokkaliga community. The Vokkaligas, a dominant force in the old Mysuru area encompassing Channapatna seat, appear to have not stood in toto with the Gowda family this time. The entire family campaigned for Nikhil with 92-year-old Gowda also addressing meetings. Kumaraswamy was looking to make Channapatna his base if he returns to State politics.

During the hustings, a racist comment of Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan against Kumaraswamy had caused jitters in Congress party with apprehensions that the Vokkaliga community would boycott the party. The result indicated that Congress managed to get the community's support but the biggest helping hand came from the Muslim community, who voted en bloc for the party.

For BJP, losing in Shiggaon and Sandur has once given leverage to State party unit President BY Vijayendra's baiters, who have been questioning his leadership. 

Reacting to the results, Opposition leader in Assembly R Ashoka accused Congress of using “money power” to secure victories. Siddaramaiah, however, framed the bypolls as a fight between Congress' “truth” and NDA's “lies”. “The Opposition parties indulged in a negative campaign against government's programmes, but ultimately, truth triumphed,'' he added. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and State Congress President attributed the victory, which increased Congress’ tally in the Assembly from 135 to 138, to Siddaramaiah's leadership.

AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “It's the victory of Congress guarantees and the government's policies besides the leadership of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.'' —Salar News