Bengaluru, April 8 -- Campaigns for the April 9 by-elections in Davanagere South and Bagalkot constituencies wrapped up on Tuesday evening.

With the 48-hour silence period in effect, candidates are now restricted to limited door-to-door outreach. The elections were triggered by the deaths of Congress legislators Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti. The ruling party has fielded Samarth Mallikarjun in Davanagere South and Umesh Meti in Bagalkot, both relatives of the deceased legislators, a move that the party believes will consolidate local support.

In the final stretch, the ruling party continued its focus on its welfare programmes, presenting the bypolls as an assessment of schemes aimed at backward classes, minorities and economica...