Priyank Kharge wins from Chittapur for third time in a row

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge on Saturday won from the Chittapur constituency in Karnataka by a margin of 13,638 votes, recording his third consecutive victory from the seat.

Priyank Kharge bagged 81,088 votes against 67,450 polled by his BJP rival Manikanta Rathod. Aam Admi Party candidate Jagadish S Sagar was in third place with 962 votes, according to the Election Commission website.

The Congress president's son bettered his victory margin this time compared to the 2018 assembly election when he defeated the BJP's Valmik Naik by 4,393 votes. Priyank Kharge's BJP rival this time Manikanta Rathod has over 30 criminal cases against his name in five districts, including Kalaburagi and Yadgir. He was also arrested in 2022 after he threatened to shoot Priyank Kharge.