The Congress party retained the Bagalkot Assembly constituency after winning the 2026 by-election. Umesh Hullappa Meti was declared the winning Congress candidate after the completion of vote counting. The election was held following the death of sitting Congress MLA H.Y. Meti. Congress selected his son Umesh Meti as its candidate for the vacant constituency. The party campaign received support from senior state leaders. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar participated in the campaign. Congress workers organised meetings and programmes across the constituency. The BJP attempted to capture the seat by fielding experienced leader Veeranna Charantimath. The contest therefore attracted considerable attention within Karnataka political circles. Voting for the by-election took place on April 9, 2026. The constituency recorded a voter turnout of about 68.7 percent. Counting was conducted at the University of Horticultural Sciences in Bagalkot. Umesh Meti maintained a lead through the counting rounds. The final result confirmed a Congress victory in the constituency. The Election Commission recorded Umesh Meti with 98,919 votes. BJP candidate Veeranna Charantimath received 76,587 votes. The winning margin was 22,332 votes. The result allowed Congress to retain the seat it had held before the by-election. The victory was also politically significant because Umesh Meti won his first Assembly election. The result strengthened Congress’s position in the Bagalkot constituency.