BJP candidate wins Legislative Council bypoll

Mangaluru: Kishore Kumar Botyadi, the BJP candidate, has emerged victorious in the recent by-election for the Dakshina Kannada local authority constituency’s seat in the Legislative Council. The election took place on October 21, and the results were declared on October 24. Botyadi secured a decisive lead over his Congress rival, Raju Poojari, with an impressive margin of votes. In the final tally, the BJP candidate garnered 3,654 votes, while the Congress received 1,957 votes, and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) managed to collect 195 votes. The election witnessed participation from about 6,000 voters who cast their ballots across 392 polling stations.

The vote counting process began early in the morning at St. Aloysius Pre-University College in Mangaluru and proceeded smoothly throughout the day. Botyadi, a well-known figure in the Dakshina Kannada political arena, previously served as the district president of the BJP Yuva Morcha and as the general secretary of the Dakshina Kannada district BJP. His victory reinforces the BJP’s stronghold in the region.

Botyadi’s political experience and support base played a significant role in this by-election win, which was seen as a test of strength for the party following the departure of Kota Srinivas Poojary to the Lok Sabha.