Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the Congress had expected a better margin in Davanagere South. (File Photo) Karnataka’s ruling Congress on Monday appeared poised to retain both Assembly seats for which bypolls were held on April 9. Its candidate Umesh Meti won Bagalkot by a margin of 22,332 votes against the BJP’s Veeranna Charantimath, while Davanagere South turned out to be a close contest. Though BJP candidate Shrinivasa Dasakariyappa secured a lead of around 5,000 votes in Davanagere South in the first seven rounds of counting, the lead swung in favour of the Congress’s Samarth Mallikarjun in the remaining 17 rounds. The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate polled close to 19,000 votes, reflecting the anger the Congress faced from Muslim voters over the candidate choice. Back in the 2023 Assembly elections, SDPI polled only 1,131 votes in the constituency.…