Karnataka Election Result 2023: Siddaramaiah Leading In Varuna By Over 5,480 Votes

Karnataka Election Result 2023: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is leading in the Varuna seat by over 5,481 votes against his closest rival BJP leader.

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is leading in the Varuna seat by 5,481 votes.

Source : PTI

Karnataka Election Result 2023: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is leading in the Varuna seat by 5,481 votes against his closest rival BJP leader V Somanna. The counting of votes polled for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls, which witnessed a fierce fight between archrivals BJP and the Congress besides the JD(S), began on Saturday as the parties are waiting with bated breath to know their fate over the possibility of a hung assembly. Any party looking to secure power in Karnataka will have to cross the halfway mark of 112. 

Siddaramaiah has secured 18,661 votes, followed by V Somanna who has got 13,180 votes so far.

Source: https://results.eci.gov.in/

Notably, the Congress Legislature Party meeting is slated to happen on Sunday as the party expects to form a government in Karnataka, sources told ABP News. The party has booked a resort in Hyderabad. 

According to sources, Plan A is if Congress gets a clear majority, a new government will be formed as soon as possible. Under Plan B if there is no clear majority, MLAs will be taken to Hyderabad.

This comes as the Congress appears to be returning to power with a clear majority as it is leading on 119 seats, followed by the BJP on 72 seats, JD(S) on 25, and Others on 8, as per the official ECI trends.

Source: https://results.eci.gov.in/

The electoral fortunes of top leaders -- Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP, Congress heavyweights Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, and JD(S)' HD Kumaraswamy, among many others will be known today.

Karnataka registered a "record" turnout of 73.19 per cent in the voting on May 10, to elect representatives to the 224-member Assembly.

With most exit polls predicting a tight contest between the Congress and BJP, leaders of the two parties seem "jittery" over the outcome, while the JD(S) appears to be expecting a hung verdict, which would enable it to play a role in government formation. Most pollsters have given an edge to the Congress over the ruling BJP, while also indicating the possibility of a hung Assembly in the state.

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.

It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.

Like it has been the trend for about the last two decades, Karnataka witnessed a three-cornered contest, with a direct fight between the said parties in most of the constituencies.