Bangalore: Counting of votes for the byelections held for three Assembly constituencies in the state  began on Monday August 25, amid anxiety in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp and high expectations in the Opposition BJP ranks.

The current counting for bypolls in three assembly constituencies – Shikaripura, Bellary rural and Chikkodi-Sadalaga are as follows: After the eighth round of counting in Bellary rural, N Y Gopalkrishna of Congress is leading by over 19,000 votes, Yeddyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra from  Shikaripura, of BJP has maintained his lead in the sixth round of counting, by a margin of over 1,600 votes and Chikkodi-Sadalaga, Congress candidate Ganesh Hukkeri is ahead by over 7,400 votes after four rounds of counting.

B Y Raghavendra, former MP and son of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, is contesting against Shantaveerappa Gowda of Congress in Shikaripur while Ganesh Hukkeri, son of former Congress minister Prakash Hukkeri, is running against BJP MLC Mahantesh Kavatagimath in Chikkodi-Sadalaga.

Obalesh, a close confidant of former minister B Sriramulu, is taking on senior Congress leader N Y Gopalakrishna in Bellary Rural. While Shikaripur has remained a BJP bastion for three decades, Prakash Hukkeri has held sway in Chikkodi-Sadalaga for the past two decades. The BJP is hoping to wrest Bellary Rural, which it had lost to B Sriramulu of BSR Congress as the strongman is back in BJP now.