Bengaluru, June 6 (IANS): Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar won the Belagavi seat in Karnataka by defeating Congress candidate Mrinal Hebbalkar by a margin of 1.78 lakh votes.

Shettar polled 7.62 lakh votes while Mrinal polled 5.83 lakh votes. Speaking to reporters after the victory, Shettar said that though he was projected as an outsider by the Congress, the people of Belagavi never thought of him as an outsider.

“Belagavi has been my karma bhoomi. My native Dharwad and Belagavi are neighbouring districts. The BJP is winning here for the sixth consecutive time. It is not possible to buy votes from money. Blessings of people are very important,” he stated.

The victory was crucial for Shettar who had joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Shettar had quit the BJP and joined the Congress after being denied the ticket to contest the election from the Dharwad Central assembly seat which he represented for decades.