Shivamogga: The BJP strengthened its hold in the Shivamogga district by winning six of the seven seats in the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018.
There was a neck-to-neck fight for the Shivamogga Rural seat between JDS’ Sharada Puryanaik and BJP’s K B Ashok Naik. In a roller coaster contest, Sharada Puryanaik ultimately tasted defeat with a slender margin of 3,743 votes.
In contrast, the BJP stalwart K S Eshwarappa trounced Congress leader K B Prasanna Kumar with a huge margin of 45,484 votes. Eshwarappa received a whopping 1,04,027 votes.
BJP State President Yeddyurappa cruised to victory in Shikaripura with margin of 35,397 votes beating Congress candidate Goni Malatesha.
In an interesting turn of events in Sagar, Congress leader and speaker of state legislative assembly Kagodu Thimmappa lost to BJP leader and former minister H Harathalu Halappa by a margin of 7891 votes.
Soraba witnessed an interesting battle between Bangarappa brothers. In the end, it was the elder brother Kumar Bangarappa, contesting on a BJP ticket who defeated the younger Madhu Bangarappa by a decisive margin of 13286 votes.
In Thirthalli, Araga Jnanendra ensured another seat for BJP by securing 21,955 more votes than his nearest rival Kimmane Rathnakar of Congress.
Only consolation for the Congress came from Bhadravathi. Here, B K Sangameshwara defeated JDS candidate Appaji M J by a margin of 11,567 votes.