Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an expelled leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has commenced his campaign for Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, the BJP candidate in the Bagalkot bypoll. During his campaign, he traveled through villages in an open van accompanied by other BJP leaders, including Pratap Simha. Yatnal refrained from criticizing the Congress candidate, Umesh Meti, instead directing his attacks at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar. He accused the Congress of pursuing minority appeasement policies, claiming that the state budget favored Muslim welfare while neglecting Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other backward classes. Yatnal's remarks included controversial statements about Hindu-Muslim relations, asserting that the two communities subscribe to distinct ideologies. He also criticized Kashappanavar for allegedly prioritizing personal interests, such as demanding IPL tickets, over community development. Yatnal promised to enhance financial support for women under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme if he were to become Chief Minister. He acknowledged Charantimath's shortcomings but urged him to improve his approach to gain community support.