Siddaramaiah’s gamble delivers as trusted aide Jarkiholi anchors landslide win in Bagalkot

Bagalkot: Chief minister Siddaramaiah's personal push in Bagalkot delivered a decisive win for Congress in the bypoll, with Umesh Meti, a political novice, defeating BJP's Veerabhadrayya Charantimath by a margin of over 22,000 votes, a result attributed to the CM's direct involvement and on-ground execution led by his trusted lieutenant Satish Jarkiholi. Meti, son of late MLA HY Meti, secured 98,919 votes, while Charantimath, a former MLA and BJP's 2023 candidate, polled 76,587 votes. The bypoll was necessitated after the death of HY Meti in Nov last year. Siddaramaiah, who shared a long political association with the late Meti dating back to their JD(S) days and later in Congress under the Ahinda platform, treated the contest as a matter of prestige. He camped in the constituency for nearly a week — a rare move for a CM in a bypoll — and mobilised ministers and party functionaries. The outcome also proved his command over Ahinda, the Kannada acronym for Alpasankyatha (minorities), Hindulida (backward) and Dalit (Scheduled Castes) voters. Siddaramaiah is also said to have played a decisive role in candidate selection. Despite resistance from senior functionaries, he ensured the ticket went to the Meti family from the Kuruba community. Siddaramaiah himself is a Kuruba. The community has a notable presence in the constituency, adding to the political significance of the contest. Jarkiholi was tasked with overseeing strategy and coordinating booth-level operations. Party functionaries credited his team with executing a focused plan targeting undecided voters and consolidating support across segments. "His team members were very professional in implementing the plan at booth level," party functionaries said. "They identified the voters' political stand and tackled neutral and mute voters. That gave fruitful results." Umesh maintained a consistent lead through all rounds of counting, with BJP unable to close the gap. The margin far exceeded expectations within Congress since HY Meti had defeated Charantimath by a margin of only 5,878 votes in 2023. Congress workers kicked off celebrations early — even while counting was on — bursting crackers and raising slogans as the lead widened. Umesh dedicated the victory to his father and party workers and later visited Yalagureshwar temple in neighbouring Nidagundi taluk. Bayakka Meti, Umesh's relative, highlighted the role played by party brass. "Siddaramaiah, Jarkiholi and other ministers took responsibility for ensuring success for our brother Umesh," she said. "Siddaramaiah especially stood with us like our father. Voters too continued their support towards Congress and our family."
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