The BJP was leading in 73 seats, while the opposition party established a lead in 114 constituencies, according to the most recent trends of vote counting reported by the Election Commission (EC) for the Karnataka assembly elections.
On Saturday, it appeared that the opposition Congress was on track to overtake the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s lone southern stronghold of Karnataka, with DK Shivakumar’s party leading in the state with 114 seats.
The BJP expressed hope of obtaining the simple majority mark of 113, but the Congress, encouraged by the early trends, said the message to the saffron party was to stick to public issues that matter.
JD(S) and Congress Lead in Crucial Constituencies
The Janata Dal (Secular), which former prime minister HD Deve Gowda leads, is in the lead in 30 seats. Shiggaon’s chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and Kanakapura’s DK Shivakumar were in the lead.
In the 224-member assembly election on May 10, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who left the BJP after being refused the opportunity to run, was lagging in Hubballi-Dharwad Central by 2,614 votes. The Congress deployed him there.
HD Kumaraswamy, a prominent leader of the JD(S) party and a former chief minister, led the race in Channapatna with a slim margin of 93 votes against CP Yogeshwara of the BJP.Â
Meanwhile, Shivakumar, another contender from the Congress party, was significantly ahead of his BJP opponent R Ashoka by approximately 6,000 votes.
Pavan Khera, a Congress leader, conveyed a message to the BJP, emphasising the importance of focusing on issues that directly impact the lives of people instead of attempting to create divisions within India.
BJP Holds Narrow Lead in Karnataka Elections as Counting Begins
The counting of votes for the Karnataka elections began in the morning, and the BJP quickly pulled ahead of the Congress in a close race.
In the 244-member legislature, the BJP was in the lead with 86 seats at 8:26, while the Congress was ahead with 76 seats. Twenty seats were in favour of the Janata Dal (Secular).
There are 2,615 candidates running for office, and the counting is taking place at 36 locations throughout the state.
By midday, a clear picture of the outcome is likely to become apparent. The key number is 113 seats.
Due to the fact that it was conducted over a year before the general elections in 2024, this assembly election was quite important. In the election, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, and the JD(S) engaged in a combative struggle.
The Election Commission (EC) reports that Karnataka had its highest-ever voter turnout in the southern state on May 10’s assembly elections, with a 73.19 percent turnout.
Elections were held in 58,545 polling places to choose the 224 assembly members for Karnataka. To create a government, 113 votes are required.
Bommai indicated optimism in the BJP’s return to power in Karnataka earlier on Friday.
Kumaraswamy Leads in Karnataka Elections
Additionally, Shivakumar spoke with party leader Mallikarjun Kharge at his Bengaluru home on the party’s strategy for when the results are announced.
The JD(S) leader, HD Kumaraswamy, was in the lead in the Channapatna constituency in crucial election battles to watch out for. He is squaring up against CP Yogeshwara, the former tourism minister of Karnataka.
On the other side, in his home district of Hubli-Dharwad Central, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar was falling behind. BJP candidate Mahesh Tenginakai was ahead by 26,803 votes as of 11:35 AM, according to Election Commission data.
