How Karnataka bypoll script flipped for two Opposition ex-CMs hoping for son-rise
A clean sweep of the three assembly bypolls, on November 23, came as a morale-booster for the Congress in Karnataka, whose Siddaramaiah-led government has, of late, been under siege by the Opposition BJP and Janata Dal over corruption allegations. The loss in Channapatna was particularly acute for Kumaraswamy, currently Union minister for steel and heavy industries, given that it was the third consecutive election defeat for his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Suresh, the outcome in Channapatna came as a shot in the arm, especially considering Suresh’s humiliating defeat in the Bengaluru Rural constituency in the Lok Sabha polls this year. In Shiggaon, the BJP’s Bharath Bommai lost his debut election in a constituency previously held by his father Basavaraj Bommai, who is now the Lok Sabha MP from Haveri. Shivakumar attributed the Congress’ feat to the government’s ‘five guarantees’, pointing out that Rs 200-250 crore was being spent annually in each of the 224 assembly constituencies on these flagship welfare programmes—free electricity to households, Rs 2,000 as monthly allowance to women, free bus travel for women, additional rice for below-poverty-line families, and an unemployment allowance for graduates and diploma holders.
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