A high-voltage campaign ended on Friday for the twin bye-elections on Sunday in Nanjangud (SC) and Gundlupet legislative assembly segments in southern Karnataka.
The by-poll for Nanjangud (Reserved) in Mysuru district has been necessitated following the resignation of former Congress lawmaker and Revenue Minister Srinivasa Prasad who is re-contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.
The ruling Congress has fielded K. Keshavamurthy who lost to Prasad in the 2013 assembly elections as a Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) nominee.
The by-poll for Gundlupet in the adjacent Chamarajanagar district is being held due to the death of Congress lawmaker and Cooperation Minister H.S. Mahadeva Prasad on January 2. The ruling party has fielded his widow Geetha as against C.S. Niranjan Kumar of the opposition BJP.
Gundlupet has 1,95,293 electorate and 250 polling booths while Nanjangud 1,91,594 voters and 236 polling stations.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who hails from the old Mysuru region, led the bitter campaign along with a dozen cabinet ministers in both the constituencies.
The JD-S is not contesting in the two by-polls as the next assembly elections are due in April 2018.
The BJP's state unit President and Lok Sabha lawmaker B.S. Yeddyurappa and former state Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, who recently joined the opposition party, have campaigned for Prasad and Kumar.
--IANS
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