Karnataka Election Results: Congress is yet to announce their Chief Minister pick.
Bengaluru:
The Congress has wrested Karnataka from BJP by winning 137 seats – well past the halfway mark in the 224-member assembly. With today’s results, the BJP lost its only bastion in the south. “After 35 years, we got such a thumping majority, which we should always remember,” said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on the party’s big victory in Karnataka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the Congress for its win and wished the party best in its endeavour to fulfilling people’s aspirations.
“I thank all those who have supported us in the Karnataka elections. I appreciate the hardwork of BJP Karyakartas. We shall serve Karnataka with even more vigour in the times to come,” he said in another tweet.
Congress’s Rahul Gandhi congratulated the people of Karnataka and told the cheering party workers at the Congress office in New Delhi: “The market of hate has been shut, and shops of love have opened,” he told
All the focus now will be on who the Congress pick as their Chief Ministerial candidate with both state chief DK Shivakumar and senior leader Siddaramaiah eyeing the spot. Today, Mr Shivakumar broke down and spoke about about delivering on a promise to the Gandhis. He also said he had not slept for three years, ever since he made the promise.
Here are the LIVE updates on the Election Results:
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The election results in Karnataka will not have any impact on the outcome of the next year’s Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde saidon Saturday.
Speaking to reporters about the Congress’s victory in the southern state, Shinde said the BJP had earlier won elections in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland, and the issues in each of these three states were different.
“Thus, the results in Karnataka will affect neither Lok Sabha elections nor the (Assembly) elections in Maharashtra,” he said.
One cannot forecast anything from election results of a single state, he added.
The Congress’ big win in the Karnataka assembly polls has come as a boost for Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge as it is also the first time in nearly four decades that the party has won in the home state of its president.
The Congress would also take inspiration from history as it was from Karnataka that an embattled Indira Gandhi had revived her dwindling political future by winning a Lok Sabha bypoll from Chikmagalur.
The Congress is facing a stiff electoral challenge from a rampaging BJP and the Karnataka poll win has come at a critical juncture for the grand old party with the Lok Sabha polls next year, but whether this victory would prove to be its “Chikmagalur moment”, only time will tell.
Just In | Congress MLAs likely to meet tomorrow in Bengaluru after massive Karnataka win.
Counting of votes is over on all seats in Karnataka. Congress has won 137 seats in he 224-member Karnataka assembly, while BJP won 65.
“Ego Doesn’t Stay For Long”: Mallikarjun Kharge After Congress’s Karnataka Win
“Ego doesn’t stay for long. It’s a democracy and we’ll have to listen to people and bow our heads before the people who show us the right path. It’s not a victory of anyone, it’s a victory of the people of the state. They decided and chose. That’s why we got 136 seats – huge after 36 years,” says Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Won Almost 99% Of Seats That Were Covered In Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress
“We started from Mekedatu (padayatra). Then came the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanniyakumari to Kashmir. We have won almost 99% of the seats in the route in which Rahul Gandhi walked. I thank him for that,”: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
Congress President Promises To Deliver On All Promises
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking after the party’s emphatic win in Karnataka, said that the party will deliver on all its promises. “BJP leaders came from across the country, but the result was what the people of Karnataka wanted,” he said.
Congress Addresses Press Conference After Thumping Karnataka Win
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, along with state chief DK Shivakumar and senior party leader Siddaramaiah is addressing a press conference. The party is expected to make an announcement related to their Chief Minister pick.
“What this victory proves is that Congress has a basic organisation and it can be rejuvenated at election time”: P Chidambaram to NDTV.
“They (BJP) treated the election as a referendum for their so-called double engine government. We are doubly happy that Congress defeated BJP,” Congress leader P Chidambaram tells NDTV.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, state Congress President DK Shivakumar, and former Union Minister KH Muniyappa are among the key leaders who have been declared victorious by the Election Commission in the Karnataka Assembly polls for which counting of votes was taken up on Saturday.
Results of former chief ministers Siddaramaiah of Congress and HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) are yet to be announced. However, they are leading in their respective segments.
Four-time Karnataka BJP MLA and the party’s national general secretary CT Ravi is losing by over 7,500 votes in Chikmagalur to the Congress’s HD Thammaiah, the Election Commission’s website shows. Counting on this seat is still going on.
Mr Ravi in a tweet accepted defeat, a huge setback for the BJP leader from the politically influential Vokkaliga community. He is known to be close to the party’s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“I accept my loss in the assembly elections. I wholeheartedly thank BJP Chikmagalur karyakartas (party workers) and the people of Chikmagalur for their support to me all these years. I congratulate all the winning candidates and wish them the very best in the coming days,” Mr Ravi tweeted.
Election Result: Mamata Banerjee on Karnataka results
“This is the beginning of the end for BJP before 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” said Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Karnataka election results.
Priyanka Gandhi said the “Karnataka results gave a message that the people want the politics that revolves around their issues. That’s what our campaign focussed on – development, corruption etc”.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra congratulated Karnataka chief minister hopefuls, DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah for Karnataka results.
 The BJP lost its only bastion in the south today, with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conceding defeat shortly after the Congress leads moved past 130 seats. The BJP is ahead on 60-plus seats and HD Kumaraswamy’s JD(S)Â
The Congress has put out a report card showing how the party benefited from the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress’s communication chief and Rajya Sabha MP, put out a table comparing the party’s performance in 20 assembly seats through which the Yatra passed.
While this is the direct impact of the #BharatJodoYatra in Karnataka, the intangible impact was uniting the party, reviving the cadre and shaping the narrative for the Karnataka elections. It was during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, from the many conversations @RahulGandhi had with the… pic.twitter.com/r1JOWMoei3
– Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 13, 2023
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will play the role of a constructive opposition in Karnataka, where the party is set to lose power to Congress in the Assembly polls.
Congress crossed the halfway mark, as per the trends by the Election Commission, and is well poised to form the government in Karnataka.
Responding to the trends, which showed Congress leading by a huge margin, the Union Minister said, “This is a celebration of democracy. The BJP Karnataka thanks every voter for participating in these elections and for supporting us.”
“I personally and the leadership here want to thank every Karyakarta of the BJP who have worked very hard during the elections. We will contribute to our state and our people as a constructive opposition,” he added.
Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday got a landslide victory in the Varuna constituency, defeating his nearest rival by a margin of 46,006 votes and entering the Karnataka Assembly for the ninth time.
The 75-year-old leader got 1,19,430 votes against 73,424 polled by his BJP rival and influential Lingayat leader V Somanna. The Bahujan Samaj Party candidate was in third place with 1,075 votes, according to the Election Commission website.
Five-time MLA and outgoing state Housing Minister Somanna was moved out of his Govindaraj Nagar constituency in Bengaluru for the first time to take the Congress strongman head-on in his home turf.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge on Saturday won from the Chittapur constituency in Karnataka by a margin of 13,638 votes, recording his third consecutive victory from the seat.
Priyank Kharge bagged 81,088 votes against 67,450 polled by his BJP rival Manikanta Rathod. Aam Admi Party candidate Jagadish S Sagar was in third place with 962 votes.
Karnataka Results: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Wins
Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai won the Shiggaon assembly seat. But he will lose the top job as Congress registered a comprehensive victory today.
Election Results 2023: Key Congress Meet Today Evening
After registering a thumping victory in Karnataka elections, Congress will hold a key meeting at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. The party is yet to announce its Chief Ministerial pick for the state.
Opposition leaders on Saturday lauded the Congress for its victory in Karnataka and thanked the people of the state, saying that this win has showed that “Modi is not invincible”.
“Pro-poor promises and secular stance helped Congress to score the historic Karnataka victory. It urges them to learn necessary lessons and to be more responsible in national politics. Modi is never invincible. If all secular forces are united, 2024 will see the end of BJP Raj,” said Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Binoy Viswam.
“Shops of hatred have shut, shops of love have opened in Karnataka. We made five promises – we will fulfil them in the first cabinet meeting,” Rahul Gandhi said as Congress got on track to register a massive victory in Karnataka.Â
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulates the people of Karnataka after the party gets a clear mandate in the state assembly polls. “We fought for the issues of the poor. I thank the party workers who worked hard for this victory. I thank the people of the state from the bottom of my heart,” says Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
In the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats. The Congress had 80 seats and JD-S 37. There was also one independent member, while the BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) had one seat each.
With no party getting a clear majority, the Congress and JD-S tried to forge an alliance. BJP’s B S Yediyurappa staked claim and formed the government. However, it was dissolved within three days, ahead of a trust vote, as the BJP strongman was unable to muster the numbers.
Subsequently, the Congress and JD-S alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as chief minister. But the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, triggered by the resignation of 17 ruling coalition legislators who then defected to the BJP.
This enabled the BJP’s return to power.
The Congress is set for a comfortable win in Karnataka but the poor show of a closely-watched heavyweight stands apart in this stellar performance by the Opposition party. Jagadish Shettar, a former Chief Minister, has been a talking point ever since he switched over from the BJP to the Congress in the run-up to the elections.
A prominent Lingayat leader, Mr Shettar is currently trailing to the BJP’s Mahesh Tenginakai by over 35,000 votes in the Hubli-Dharwad Central assembly segment.
Karnataka Elections: Congress Set For A Thumping Victory
The Congress is on track for a thumping victory in Karnataka, which will dislodge rival BJP from its lone southern citadel. The Congress are currently leading on 135 seats, while the BJP is ahead on 64.
With a strong showing by the Congress in the Karnataka assembly polls, senior party leader P Chidambaram on Saturday congratulated the state’s people for a “decisive verdict” and said they stood up to the “money and muscle power of the so-called double engine government” of the BJP.
“Warm congratulations and sincere thanks to the people of Karnataka for delivering a decisive verdict. This election was more than an election to a state assembly. It was about upholding the fundamental values of the Indian Constitution and stopping the damage done by supremacist theories, discrimination and prejudice,” Mr Chidamabram said on Twitter.
“We may cross 130 also. It’s a big victory. People were fed up of the BJP government,” Congress leader Siddaramaiah says.
“I Promised To Deliver Karnataka And I Have”: DK Shivakumar Breaks Down
“I had assured the Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver Karnataka,” Congress state chief DK Shivakumar says as the party closes in on a win in Karnataka.
Election Results: Congress State Chief Thanks People, Workers As Party Races Ahead
Congress Karnataka chief DK Shivakumar says that the party was always confident of a victory in the assembly elections. The party has already raced ahead on 130 seats, far beyond the majority mark of 113.
“Despite the best efforts by PM Modi and cadres, we were not able to make a mark. As a national party, we will not only analyse but also see what deficiencies and gaps were left at various levels. We take this result in our stride,” Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said as Congress raced ahead on 130 seats in Karnataka.
Karnataka Election Results: BJP Concedes Defeat
Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat after Congress crossed the majority mark in trends. “We have not been able to cross the mark. Once the results out, we will do a detailed analysis. We will find out the gaps and deficiencies, and we will reorganise the party and come back for the Lok Sabha elections,” Mr Bommai said.
Trends for all the 224 seats in the state are in, with the Congress clearly ahead of archrival BJP. At 120 seats, the Congress is a notch ahead of the magic number of 113, while the BJP is ahead on 73 seats. The Janata Dal-S (JD-S) is leading in 25 seats.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai (BJP) is leading from his seat as are former chief ministers HD Kumaraswamy (JDS) and Siddaramaiah (Congress).
The Congress has asked all its MLAs to reach Bengaluru as leads placed it across the halfway mark. Congress’s Siddaramaiah said he is sure of the party crossing the 120 mark. There are reports that the party has booked several resorts to keep its flock together. It prompted a jibe from the BJP, which said the Congress “doesn’t trust its MLAs”.
Karnataka Results: Congress Surges Ahead Of Majority Mark
Congress seems to be on course to breach rival BJP’s lone southern citadel Karnataka, racing ahead towards the magic 113 figure to form a government on its own. Buoyed by the initial trends, Congress said the message given to the BJP was to stick to public issues that matter, even as the saffron party expressed hope of securing the simple majority mark of 113.
Congress touched the majority mark of 113 seats in early trends in counting of votes for the Karnataka Assembly polls. Congress is currently leading in 115 seats while the BJP is ahead in 79.
Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge is leading in Chittapur against BJP’s Manikanta Rathod by 2, 493 votes.
Congress candidate Jagdish Shettar is trailing in the Hubli-Dharwad Central Assembly. Mr Shettar, a former chief minister, recently joined Congress after being denied a ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He belongs to the Lingayat community which is believed to have a crucial impact on electoral outcomes in the state.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai (BJP) is leading in the Shiggaon constituency, according to early trends. He is up against Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan.
Congress leader and son of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Yathindra Siddaramiah expressed confidence that the party will get an absolute majority and will come to power on its own. He also said for the interest of Karnataka his father should become the chief minister.
“We will do anything to keep BJP out of power… In the interest of Karnataka, my father should become the chief minister,” Yathindra Siddaramaiah said while speaking to ANI.
Election Results Live: Congress Widens Lead, Ahead on 113 Seats
As per early trends, the Congress is leading on 113 seats, while the BJP is ahead on 85. The Congress is hoping for an anti-incumbency wave that will help them dethrone the BJP government in the state.
Incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai has said he is confident of a BJP victory. “We are confident that we will win and cross the magic number. We have got the ground report from all the booths and the constituencies,” he said.
Live Karnataka Election Results: Congress Ahead On 86 Seats, BJP In 70
In very early leads, the Congress is leading on 86 seats, while the ruling BJP is ahead on 70.
Election Results Live: BJP, Congress In Close Race In Very Early Leads
The postal votes are being counted now. As per the early trends, the BJP and Congress are ahead on 31 seats each. The JD-S, which will assume a key role in case of a hung assembly, is leading on 12 seats.
The Congress, believing in the very same jinx that the BJP wants to break, is hoping for a morale-booster to give it the much-needed plank on which it will position itself as the main opposition party ahead of the national election next year.
According to the early trends, BJP and Congress are both ahead on 2 seats each. A party needs to win 113 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly to form the government.
Whether the BJP beats anti-incumbency in Karnataka, the Congress scores a rare state victory or the Janata Dal (Secular) throws in a surprise will be known today as votes are counted today.
Congress Karnataka chief DK Shivakumar has dismissed the exit poll results in which the party, though it gains the highest number of seats, has to contend with a hung Assembly. He insisted that the party will win at least 141 seats and form a majority government.
HD Kumaraswamy, Janata Dal-Secular Chief said that he does not trust the exit polls and will wait for the results to actually come out.Â
“Don’t trust exit polls. We will wait and see what happens when the results actually come out,” he said just an hour before the counting of votes begins.Â
“We have already decided. I leave it to the people,” he added.
Having banked on the Modi juggernaut, the ruling BJP is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the people have never voted the incumbent party to power, while the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Karnataka Elections: Counting To Begin At 8 am
The counting of votes for 224 seats in the Karnataka assembly will begin at 8 am at 36 counting centres that have been installed across the state.
Election Results: Current Strength Of Karnataka Assembly
In the outgoing assembly, the ruling BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress with 69, JD(S) 29, Bahujan Samaj Party one, two independents, the Speaker and six vacant seats due to deaths and resignations to join other parties ahead of the election.
In the 224-seat Karnataka assembly, a party needs to win 113 seats to form the government. Of the total 224 seats, 36 seats are reserved for scheduled castes and 15 for scheduled tribes.
Election Results 2023: Fortunes Of Top Leaders To Be Decided Today
The electoral fortunes of top leaders – Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP, Congress veterans Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, and Mr Kumaraswamy will be decided today.
Elections 2023: Karnataka Registered A Record Voter Turnout
Karnataka registered a record voter turnout of 73.19% on May 10, surpassing the 72.36% recorded during the 2018 assembly polls.
Karnataka will today witness a fierce three-cornered contest between the BJP, Congress and the JD(S) in most of the constituencies. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is in power in Delhi and Punjab, had also fielded some candidates.
Karnataka Elections: What Exit Polls Predict
Seven out of 10 exit polls have showed Karnataka is heading for a hung assembly. Two have predicted an outright victory for the Congress and one for the BJP. Those expecting a hung house also indicated that HD Kumaraswamy’s JD(S) is likely to play the kingmaker. Health warning: exit polls often get it wrong.
