Large chunk of JD(S) votes went to BJP in Sindgi, admit party insiders

Leaders claim the byelection loss was expected

The humiliating drubbing that the Janata Dal (Secular) received in the byelections to Sindgi saw the shifting of a large percentage of votes in favour of the BJP. While the party is disappointed, leaders now claim the result was expected and they are looking ahead with a focus on the 2023 Assembly elections.

As per internal post-poll calculations, most of the votes that the JD(S) commanded in 2018 has gone to the BJP and some to the Congress. The party’s vote share in Sindgi plummeted from 44.15% in 2018, when the former Minister late M.C. Manuguli was elected, to a mere 2.66%, thus relegating the party to a distant third.

“It looks like the voters have favoured the BJP. The Congress may not have benefited much despite the late legislator’s son Ashok Manuguli being its candidate. The anticipated triangular fight did not happen at all,” sources said. “Because we were on the back foot, people voted for a stronger party. This is common in many byelections. We are not deterred since trends during Assembly elections provide a different picture.”