Karnataka Bypoll results: Congress registers massive victory in Bellary

Bengaluru, Nov 6: Congress candidate VS Ugrappa handed out a humiliating defeat to BJP candidate and former MP J Shantha in the byelection held for Bellary Lok Sabha seat. Ugrappa won by a margin of 2,43,161 votes.

Senior Congress leader Ugrappa got 6,28,365 votes in the LS seat held by Shantha's brother BJP leader B Sriramulu in 2014 election. Shantha polled 3,85,204 votes. Sriramulu had vacated the seat after successfully contesting the assembly election from Molakalmuru.

The Bellary parliamentary seat has six Congress MLAs and 3 BJP MLAs.

The massive victory is a big boost for pre-poll alliance in the state ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Top JD(S) leaders, including former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, campaigned for the Congress candidate in Ballari.