Karnataka Election Results 2023: Congress Wrests Karnataka, BJP Suffers Setback In South
The counting of votes for the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka started at 8:00 a.m. at 36 centres across the state.
(Photo: Siddaramaiah Twitter account)
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Congress Wins 136 Seats, BJP Secures 66
The Indian National Congress swept the Karnataka assembly election after a decisive win by securing 136 seats out of the total 224. This includes the Melukote winner Darshan Puttannaiah of Karnataka Sarvodaya Paksha, who was backed by the Congress.
The Bharatiya Janta Party and Janata Dal (Secular) won 66 and 19 seats, respectively, according to NDTV tracker.
P Chidambaram In Conversation With NDTV
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram speaks exclusively to NDTV after the party's thumping victory in Karnataka.
Congress Wins 136 Seats; BJP At 63, JD(S) Wins 19 As Of 7:25 P.M.
PM Modi Congratulates Congress On Karnataka Victory
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to the microblogging website Twitter to congratulate the Indian National Congress for its victory in Karnataka polls.
He further thanked all the BJP workers for their support and hard work in Karnataka elections and promised to serve the state with "more vigour" henceforth.
Congress Wins 131 Seats At 5:25 P.M.
Congress had won 131 seats, whereas BJP and JD(S) secured or led on 62 and 19 seats, respectively, in the Karnataka Assembly elections as of 5:25 p.m., according to the NDTV tracker. Others won three out of the total 224 constituencies in the state.
Siddaramaiah Wins From Varuna, Becomes MLA For Ninth Time
Congress leader and former chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah won in the Varuna constituency, defeating his nearest rival, BJP's V. Somanna, by a margin of 46,163 votes. He has been elected to the Karnataka Assembly for the ninth time.
Congress' MB Patil Wins Babaleshwar Seat
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Wins From Shiggaon
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai defeated Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathaan of the Congress by 35,978 votes in the Shiggaon constituency of Karnataka.
While addressing the media, he took full responsibility for the BJP's defeat in the Assembly elections, and that the party will function as a responsible opposition in the days to come.
He said Congress' "much organised" election strategy might have been one of the major reasons for its win.
Congress' Priyank Kharge Wins Chittapur For Third Time
Congress' Priyank Kharge, son of party president Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, won the Chittapur constituency's seat by 13,640 votes against the BJP's Manikanta Rathod. Priyank won from Chittapur for the third time in a row.
Congress Way Past The Majority Mark As Of 4:40 P.M.
Congress won 123 seats, whereas BJP and JD(S) secured 58 and 19 seats respectively in the Karnataka Assembly elections, as of 4:40 p.m.
Congress' B Nagendra Bags Bellary Constituency
B Sreeramulu of BJP lost the Bellary constituency's seat to B Nagendra of Congress by 29,300 votes.
Laxman Savadi Defeats Mahesh Kumathalli In Athani
Congress' Laxman Savadi defeated Mahesh Kumathalli of BJP by 76,122 votes in the Athani constituency of Karnataka.
D.K. Shivakumar Wins Kanakapura Constituency
Congress' D.K. Shivakumar won the Kanakapura seat by 1.22 lakh votes against the contender B Nagaraju.
CM Basavaraj Bommai: I Take Full Responsibility For The Defeat
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said he will take full responsibility for the BJP's defeat in the Assembly elections, and that the party will function as a responsible opposition in the days to come.
He said Congress' "much organised" election strategy might have been one of the major reasons for its win.
Speaking to media, he said the party will analyse the performance in every constituency in detail.
Congress Inches Closer To Half-Way Mark As Of 3:35 P.M.
Congress inches closer to the majority mark of 113 seats as it leads by winning 108 seats, whereas BJP and JD(S) secure 44 and 15 seats, respectively. Three seats have been won by other candidates.
Congress Leads BJP, JD(S), Others As Of 3:00 P.M.
Congress leads by 101 seats after securing victory on 36 seats in Karnataka. Bhartiya Janta Party, on the other hand, is leading with 45 seats and it has won 17 seats, as per ECI.
As of 3 p.m., Congress has won a total of 84 seats and BJP and JD(S) have secured 32 and 13 seats, respectively.
Rahul Gandhi Resolves To Fulfill Five Poll Promises In The First Cabinet Meet
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed the media at the party's Delhi headquarters and promised that the "incoming Congress government intends to fulfill all its five poll promises in its first cabinet meeting".
He congratulated the people of Karnataka and all the Congress workers who worked during this election. "This is the defeat of the politics of hatred and the victory of the politics of love," he added.
Source: Rahul Gandhi addressing reporters
Rahul Gandhi Arrives At Congress Delhi HQ
Congress Leads BJP, JD(S), Others As Of 2:15 P.M.
Shivakumar Gives Credit To Gandhi Family, Party Cadres, Leaders As Congress Inches Closer To Victory
Karnataka Congress Chief D.K. Shivakumar gave credit to the Gandhi family for reposing their faith in his leadership in the state, PTI reported.
Overcome with emotions, Shivakumar on Saturday broke down while reacting to the Assembly elections results, which showed the Congress striding ahead of BJP, JD(S) and others.
"I give credit to party cadres and all the leaders for the party's victory. People have reposed faith in us and the leaders supported us. It is a collective leadership and we have worked jointly," Shivakumar said. He also thanked the leaders in the state including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the MLAs and all the party office-bearers.
Congress Still Battling Ahead Of BJP, JD (S) As Of 1:45 P.M.
Congress Ahead Of BJP, JD (S) As Of 1:25 P.M.
Rajasthan CM Says Karnataka Chose Development Politics Over Communal Politics
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Karnataka has chosen the politics of development over communal politics, reacting to the assembly election result trends that showed the Congress marching towards victory, PTI reported.
"This will be repeated in the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana as well," Gehlot said in a tweet in Hindi.
Gehlot said the atmosphere that was visible in Karnataka during Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is clearly noticeable in the election results.
"Under the leadership of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress leaders ran a great campaign," the Rajasthan chief minister added.
Congress Ahead With 130 Seats As Of 12:55 P.M.
Congress was leading with 130 seats, while BJP followed with 66 seats and JD(S) with 22 seats as of 12:55 p.m.
Congress Leads BJP In Varuna As of 12:35 P.M.
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai Concedes Defeat
BJP leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has conceded defeat as the Congress was comfortably ahead of the half-way mark after multiple rounds of counting as of 12:30 p.m.
"In spite of a lot of efforts put in by PM & BJP workers, we've not been able to make the mark. Once the full results come we'll do a detailed analysis. We take this result in our stride to come back in Lok Sabha elections," Bommai told reporters.
The BJP leader was himself ahead of Congress' Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan by a margin of 24,158 votes in Shiggaon.
Congress To Have A Thumping Victory, Says Sachin Pilot
"Congress has the majority. We will have a thumping victory. The slogan of "40% commission government" given by us, was accepted by the public. It was a major issue raised by us to defeat BJP. People accepted it and gave majority to the Congress," ANI reported, citing Congress leader Sachin Pilot.
Congress' Shivakumar Ahead By 46,485 Votes In Kanakpura As Of 12:25 P.M.
Congress Leads With 123 Seats As Of 12:15 P.M.
As of 12:15 p.m., Congress was ahead with 123 seats, followed by BJP with 70 seats and JD(S) with 25 seats.
Who Will Be Next Karnataka Chief Minister?
Congress leader DK Shivakumar has voiced aspirations to be the chief minister as the party crossed half-way mark after first few hours of counting for the Karnataka assembly elections, according to NDTV.
Apart from Shivakumar, president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, the other key aspirant for the post of chief minister is Siddaramaiah, party heavyweight and a former chief minister.
His son Yathindra Siddaramaiah has already pitched his father to be the chief minister.
According to the NDTV report, Shivakumar said he hopes to be considered for the role given is effort to building the base of the party and resurruct Congress' prospects in the state.
"As a son, definitely I would like to see him as a Chief Minister. But as a resident of the state, his last regime had a very good governance, this time also, if he becomes the Chief Minister, whatever corruption and misrule during the BJP rule will be corrected by him. In the interest of the State also, he should become the CM," Yathindra said.
Congress' Siddaramaiah, M B Patil Lead As Of 11:30 A.M.
Indian National Congress' Siddaramaiah was leading BJP's V. Somanna by 5,288 votes in Varuna as of 11:30 a.m.
M.B. Patil of Congress was ahead of Vijugouda Patil of BJP by 3,873 votes in Bableshwar.
Congress' D.K. Shivakumar Leads As Of 11:20 A.M.
As of 11:15 am:
Congress' D.K.Shivakumar was leading BJP's R.Ashok by a margin of 35,907 votes in Kanakapura.
BJP's Basavaraj Bommai was ahead of Congress' Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan by a margin of 24,158 votes in Shiggaon.
H.D.Kumaraswamy was leading C.P. Yogeshwar by a margin of 1,859 votes in Channapatna.
Mahesh Tenginakkai was leading Congress' Jagdish Shettar by a margin of 18,664 votes in Hubbali.
Congress Leading BJP, JD(S) As Of 11:05 A.M.
BJP's Mahesh Tenginakai Leads In Hubli-Dharwad Central As Of 11:00 a.m.
As of 11:00 a.m., Mahesh Tenginakai was leading Congress' Jagadish Shettar in Hubli-Dharwad Central.
D.K. Shivakumar, H.D. Kumaraswamy And Basavaraj Bommai Lead As Of 10:20 A.M.
Congress Ahead Of BJP, JD(S) As Of 10:10 A.M.
Indian National Congress was leading with118 seats as of 10:10 a.m. BJP followed with 77 seats, while JD (S) won 25 seats so far in the day.
CM Basavaraj Bommai Leads In Shiggaon
Karnataka's Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was leading Congress' Pathan Yasir Ahmed Khan in Shiggaon by a margin of 8,517 votes.
Former CM Leads In Channapatna
JD (S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is leading in Channapatna by 93 votes against BJP's C P Yogeshwara.
Congress Still Pushing Ahead As Of 9:35 A.M.
Congress was battling ahead of BJP, JDS and others as of 9:35 A.M.
Congress was leading with 115 seats, followed by BJP with 80 seats. JDS and others trailed with 25 and four seats respectively.
Counting Trends As Of 9:00 A.M.
As of 9:00 a.m., Congress was leading with 100 seats, followed by BJP with 83 seats. JDS and others so far were holding 23 and two seats, respectively.
As of 9:00 a.m.:
Congress' D.K.Shivakumar was leading BJP's R.Ashok in Kanakapura.
BJP's Basavaraj Bommai was ahead of Congress' Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan in Shiggaon.
H.D.Kumaraswamy was leading C.P. Yogeshwar in Channapatna.
Congress Exudes Confidence To Win Absolute Majority
Indian National Congress is confident to win an absolute majority and form the government in Karnataka, ANI reported, citing Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Congress leader and son of former CM Siddaramaiah.
"Congress will get an absolute majority and form the government in Karnataka. We are confident that we will make government on our own," he said.
"We will do anything to keep BJP out of power...In the interest of Karnataka, my father should become the CM," he added.
Trends As Of 8:30 A.M.
In early trends, Congress was leading with 60 seats. While, BJP with 57 seats was closely catching up.
Karnataka Chief Minister Assures Win For BJP
Karnataka's Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he is confident that Bharatiya Janata Party will win with absolute majority and give a stable government, ANI reported.
Counting Of Votes Begins At 8:00 A.M.
The counting of votes for the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka started at 8:00 a.m. at 36 centres across the state.
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.
A Recap Of May 10 Polls
The 224 assembly constituencies of Karnataka conducted polls on May 10, with Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) being locked in a competition.
More than 5.31 crore voters -- 2.67 crore male, 2.64 crore female and 4,927 identified as others—were expected to exercised their franchise to elect their new representatives in the state legislature.
The state set up more than 58,000 polling booths to conduct the polls. Security arrangements were tightened to ensure peaceful voting, while authorities took action against troublemakers to maintain law and order during the polls.
Counting Of Votes To Begin At 8:00 A.M.
The finale of the spirited Karnataka elections is set to unfold with the announcement of results on Saturday. Counting of votes will begin from 8:00 a.m. at 36 centres across the state, with hopes of the BJP, the Congress and the JD(S) hanging in balance.
The southern swing state is witnessing a tripartite contest between the three parties. While most exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in the Karnataka this time, others suggested a hung house with HD Deve Gowda's JD(S) emerging as the kingmaker.
Polling was mostly peaceful on May 10, with record 73.3% voter turnout. Security measures have been tightened across the state once again ahead of counting as well, with focus on counting centres.