"People have considered me as one of their own": Congress' Annapoorna after winning Sandur bypoll in Karnataka

Saying that the people have considered her as "one of their own," she told ANI, "I'm happy that people of the constituency have chosen me. I'll try to meet their expectations. I along with the MP (her husband E Tukaram) will work for the betterment of the constituency. People have voted not only over our guarantees, but they considered me as one of their own, and that's why they have chosen me."

Along with Annapoorna from Sandur, Congress has swept all three seats in the Karnataka bypolls, with Pathan Yasirahmedkhan winning from Shiggaon, and C P Yogeeshwara winning from Channapatna.

E Annapoorna won her seat by a margin of more than 9 thousand votes. Yogeeshwara won by more than 25 thousand votes and Yasirahmedkhan won by more than 13 thousand votes.

Congress also celebrated their sweeping victory in Karnataka with Congress in-charge for the state, Randeep Singh Surjewala, celebrated the win in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "Congress sweeps Karnataka by-elections! Congress won the Channapatna Assembly by 26,929 votes. CP Yogeshwar of Congress defeats Nikhil Kumaraswamy of JD-BJP. Congress wins Sandur Assembly, retains the seat Annapurna Tukaram of Congress wins, defeating B Hanumantappa of BJP by 9,568 votes. Congress wins the Shiggaon Assembly, wrests the seat from BJP. Bharath Bommai of BJP loses to Yasir Pathan of Congress by 13,446 votes."

He added, "A victory for leadership of Mallikarjun kharge & Rahul Gandhi! A victory of Congress workers, Congress Guarantees, and Congress Govt's policies as also the leadership of Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah & PCC President, DK Shivakumar!"

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called the win a rejection of BJP's narrative in the state. "In Shiggaon, Sandur, and Channapatna, the people have rejected the statements made by the BJP and NDA leaders. Their alliance will never work in Karnataka," he said.

While Congress has retained their Sandur seat, they had also managed to snatch the seats away from Janta Dal (Secular) in Channapatna, and BJP in Shiggaon. With the party's tally reaching 137 seats in the assembly now.

The two seats had been vacated after BJP's Basavaraj Bommai and JD(S)'s H D Kumaraswamy had vacated their seats after being elected in Lok Sabha. (ANI)