PTI
Bangalore, May 26: The much-hyped Bangarappa family in Karnataka politics was routed in the assembly elections on Sunday with former chief minister S Bangarappa and his sons Madhu and Kumara losing by big margins in the polls.
Four time Lok Sabha member from Shimoga and seven-time MLA from Soraba, Bangarappa, fighting the assembly election this time on an SP ticket, suffered a shocking defeat of his life time in Shikaripura at the hands of BJP chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa.
Bangarappa, Kumar and Madhu
The SP leader, supported tacitly by the Congress which withdrew its candidate, and the JDS, received a stinging blow, the second in his political career. Earlier, he had lost to BJP'S Ayanur Manjunath in Shimoga Lok Sabha seat.
It is the first loss for Bangarappa who remained invincible in assembly polls.
Yeddyurappa defeated the SP leader by a margin of 45,927 votes polling 83,491 votes.
In Sorab, where the battle was largely seen to be between Bangarappa's sons Madhu (SP) and Kumara (Cong) and both of them lost to BJP candidate H Halappa.
Halappa, who also belong to Idiga community like Bangarappa, found favour with his own community and other sections, who did not approve the sibling rivalry and Bangarappa's political machinations.
Halappa won with a margin of 21,035 votes.