CM Siddaramaiah endorses welfare agenda in Bagalkote, BJP alleges neglect

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday campaigned in Bagalkote for Congress candidate in the upcoming by-election, Umesh Meti, son of late sitting MLA HY Meti, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party sharpened its campaign with multiple rallies and a march in the town. CM Siddaramaiah endorses welfare agenda in Bagalkote, BJP alleges neglectThe election, held alongside the Davanagere South bypoll, is scheduled for April 9 and follows the deaths of senior leaders HY Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, prompting both parties to recalibrate their strategies in constituencies with established political legacies. Siddaramaiah framed the contest as both a continuation of his father’s work and an endorsement of the state government’s welfare agenda. Addressing a gathering in the district Congress headquarters, he urged voters to support the candidate while pointing to the administration’s five guarantee schemes. He said the initiatives had supported Below Poverty Line families, estimating that beneficiaries receive between ₹5,000 and ₹6,000 per month through various programmes. The chief minister also criticised the BJP’s tenure in Karnataka from 2019 to 2023, alleging that it did not deliver development. He also revisited the long-standing demand to raise the height of the Almatti Dam on the Krishna river, placing the responsibility on the Centre. “Even after 13 years, the Centre did not issue the gazette notification. You must understand this. There is the BJP government at the Centre and now in the opposition. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and I met the central ministers several times but to no avail,” he said. He asked voters to seek an explanation from BJP candidate Veeranna Charantimath on the issue. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the party was gaining ground and expressed confidence about the outcome. He said voters would support the BJP candidate irrespective of the Congress campaign push and maintained that the party’s grassroots workers had been actively canvassing from early morning. He projected a decisive win for Charantimath, arguing that the local political climate favoured the BJP. “No tactics or conspiracies of the Congress will work,” he said. Vijayendra also criticised the Congress government, alleging that Bagalkote had been overlooked despite its political importance to Siddaramaiah, who had won from the Badami constituency in the district in 2018. He accused the ruling party of attempting to sway voters through improper means, saying it was trying to influence them with money and muscle power, but added that “aware voters” had made up their minds. Describing Charantimath as a “people-friendly” leader, Vijayendra suggested that the BJP candidate was drawing support beyond party lines. “When even Congress members want him to win, there is nothing wrong if others also support him,” he said. He further claimed that some Congress workers in both Bagalkote and Davanagere South were quietly backing the BJP. “Anyone who works for the victory of the BJP candidate will be welcomed,” he said, adding that the results would reveal the internal dynamics within both parties. Arun Dev is an Assistant Editor with the Karnataka bureau of Hindustan Times. A journalist for over 10 years, he has written extensively on crime and politics.