Karnataka bypolls: Results a mixed bag for Chief Minister Yediyurappa

The results of the Assembly elections in five States and the three bypolls in Karnataka seem to be a mixed bag for Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Failing to get defector Pratapgouda Patil re-elected

The results of the Assembly elections in five States and the three bypolls in Karnataka seem to be a mixed bag for Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Failing to get defector Pratapgouda Patil re-elected despite the poll efforts being spearheaded by his son B.Y. Vijayendra is seen as a setback for him. The Belagavi contest going down to the wire and the Congress putting up an “unexpected” tough fight has exposed the party’s weakness on the ground, the Chief Minister’s detractors argue. “The COVID-19 crisis may have also had an impact on the government’s popularity,” a senior party leader said. However, Mr. Yediyurappa’s camp credits his leadership and the support of the Lingayat vote base for the party’s victories in Belagavi and Basavakalyan. “The Shiv Sena–Congress alliance in Maharashtra has had a fallout in Belagavi. Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, which polled over one lakh votes, played spoiler for the BJP. It was the Lingayat vote base that ensured the party won,” said a senior Minister.