Sirsi: With Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Vishveshwar Hegde Kagri scoring a hat-trick of vactories in the assembly election, the results of which were announced on Tuesday, the party has further fortified its hold on the Sirsi-Siddapur constituency.

For the last two decades BJP has succeed in retaining this constituency.

Victory margin

Kageri riding on the Modi and Hindutva wave has not only secured the victory for third time, but also downed the Congress candidate Bhimanna Naik with a bigger victory margin of 17,461 votes.

Kageri securd 70,595 votes as against Naik, who could manage to secure only 53,134 votes.

In 2008, Kageri had hoisted the party flag in the constituency with a victory margin of 30,733 votes against Congress candidate Ravindra Naik.

However, in 2013, when there was a wave against the BJP due to split in the party, Kageri still managed to win but with less margin of 3,059 votes.

Kageri had earlier secured a hat-trick as Ankola MLA, before shifting his base to Sirsi constituency.

Anti-incumbency factor

There was anti-incumbency factor that was weighing him down. There was also allegation that not much development work had taken place during this tenure.

However, it was the youths who was created a Modi and hindutva wave for Kageri to help him secured the victory.

Yogi, Yash campaigning

His victory is also backed by the sharp Hindutva speeches made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde and Kannada film actor Yash, who campaigned for him.