E Tukaram Defeats BJP’s B Sriramulu in Bellary, Congress Gains Ground

E Tukaram, the Indian National Congress leader, has triumphed over BJP’s B Sriramulu in Bellary, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The sitting MP, Sriramulu, failed to counter the anti-incumbency wave and secure re-election.

The NDA, comprising BJP and Janata Dal (Secular), is leading the state with victories in 16 out of 28 seats and leading in its 17th seat. The Congress has made significant inroads, winning 8 seats and leading in its 9th, a marked improvement from their single-seat win in 2019.

Congress’s promises, including free bus rides for women, waiving off electricity bills for up to 200 units, and providing aid of Rs 2,000 to women heads of families, resonated with voters, particularly women in Karnataka.

Bellary is notable for its minefields and jeans production. Congress’s Rahul Gandhi pledged to establish Bellary as the jeans capital of India by creating a jeans park. The region also has historical significance due to G Janardhana Reddy, the mining baron with multiple CBI cases linked to illegal mining during the 2008-2013 BJP rule.

Bellary gained political fame in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections when Sushma Swaraj of BJP contested against Congress’s Sonia Gandhi but lost. B Sriramulu, the current MP, was then working under Swaraj.