Janata Party activist Harish Poonja, 36, has defeated the five-time MLA, K. Vasanth Bangera, in Belthangady constituency by 22,974 votes.
Mr. Bangera, who hopped from the BJP to the Janata Dal (S) and then to the Congress, contested from Belthangady for the ninth time.
Mr. Bangera got elected twice as the BJP candidate in in 1983 and 1985, and as a Janata Dal (Secular) candidate in 1994 elections. Mr. Bangera was elected as Congress candidate in 2008 and 2013 assembly elections.
Making a change in their candidature, the BJP choose to field Mr. Poonja in this election and not Ranjan G. Gowda, who was the BJP candidate in the 2013 elections. Mr. Gowda, is the son of the former Belthangady MLA, Gangadhara Gowda, who contested from Belthangady six times.
Denial of ticket to his son led led Mr. Gangadhara Gowda to join the Congress recently.
The victory of Mr. Poonja has brought an end to family members of Mr. Bangera and Mr. Gowda representing Belthangady since 1978.
While Mr. Bangera won five times, his brother Prabhakar Bangera won as the BJP candidate in 1999 and 2004 elections.
Mr. Gangadhara Gowda won as Congress candidate in 1978 and 1989 elections.
