By Admin 
Assembly Election 2026: Voting is going on from Thursday morning for the by-elections on two assembly seats of Karnataka, Bagalkot and Davangere South.
The elections had become necessary due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti from Bagalkot assembly constituency and Shamanur Shivashankarappa from Davanagere South assembly constituency. Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
Although the results of these by-elections are unlikely to have an immediate impact on the politics of the state, the contest is being considered a matter of prestige for both the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While Congress faces the challenge of retaining both the seats, BJP intends to give a blow to the ruling party by snatching these seats from it, which is currently struggling with an “internal power struggle” over leadership.
More than 25 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes at 319 polling stations in Bagalkot. Nine candidates are in the fray for this seat.
25 candidates are in the fray at 284 polling stations in Davangere South and more than 23 lakh voters are eligible to vote.
Officials said that extensive security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the by-election.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and defeated 2023 candidate Veerbhadraiah Charantimath from Bagalkot and a new face Srinivas T Dasakariyappa from Davangere South.
Congress has given tickets to family members of deceased MLAs in both the constituencies. Bagalkot Congress candidate Umesh Meti is the son of HY Meti, while Davangere South candidate Samarth Mallikarjuna is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.