Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar expressed strong confidence in the Congress party's prospects for the upcoming Assembly bypolls on April 9 in the Bagalkote and Davanagere South constituencies. He noted a favorable public response to the party's welfare initiatives, including the 'Shakti', 'Gruha Lakshmi', 'Gruha Jyoti', 'Yuva Nidhi', and 'Anna Bhagya' schemes. The bypolls were necessitated by the deaths of sitting Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti. In Davanagere South, Congress has fielded Shivashankarappa's grandson, Samarth Shamanur, while Umesh Meti is the candidate for Bagalkote, both facing off against BJP candidates T Dasakariyappa and Veerabhadrayya Charantimath. Shivakumar claimed that even former BJP voters are now leaning towards Congress, motivated by the desire for continued welfare guarantees amid rising prices. He also criticized the BJP for a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the state and urged the central government to take action, suggesting that the BJP should apologize for the inconveniences caused.