Shivamogga, May 13: BJP leader S N Channabasappa, who was arrested eight years ago for an alleged hate speech against then Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, won the Shimoga seat by a margin of 27,674 votes on Saturday.

Channabasappa got 96,490 votes against 68,816 votes polled by his Congress rival H C Yogesh. JD(S) candidate A Manjunatha was in third place with 8,863 votes, according to the Election Commission website. Karnataka Election Results 2023: PM Narendra Modi Congratulates Congress on Winning State Assembly Polls.

The BJP candidate, a Lingayat leader, was elected to the corporation four times. He served as general secretary of the BJP's district unit. Basavaraj Bommai, DK Shivakumar and KH Muniyappa Among Key Winners in Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023.

K S Eshwarappa, who resigned as minister from the BJP government in the state following a bribery charge, is the outgoing MLA from the Shimoga seat. He announced his retirement from electoral politics last month.

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