Karnataka Elections 2023: Congress's HA Iqbal Hussain has won from Ramanagaram seat by a margin of over 10,000 votes. He has defeated Nikhil Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (Secular), who is the son of former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy. According to EC, Hussain received 87,690 votes and Kumaraswamy got 76,975 votes. According to the Election Commission, Congress is leading in 137 seats, followed by BJP in 62 seats, JD(S) in 21.
The counting of votes began at 8 am across 36 designated centres in the southern state, the Election Commission informed. Voting on all 224 seats of Karnataka Assembly was scheduled for May 10 and results will be declared on May 13. Ramanagaram will witness a strong fight between HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy from JD(S), Iqbal Hussain HA from INC and Goutham Gowda from BJP.
According to the Election Commission (EC), Karnataka recorded a 73.19 per cent voter turnout in the May 10 assembly elections, the highest-ever voter turnout in the southern state. Polling was held across 58,545 polling stations to elect the members in the 224-seat Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The majority mark needed to form the government is 113. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai exuded confidence in Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) return to power in Karnataka.
In another battle that is expected to draw a lot of eyeballs, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's grandson, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, is eyeing an electoral turnaround in the Ramanagara Assembly constituency, after a loss in the 2019 Assembly polls. Priyank Kharge of Congress is leading in the early trends from Chittapur seat. He is closely followed by Bharatiya Janata Party's Manikanta Rathod. The counting of votes began at 8 am across 36 designated centres in the southern state, the Election Commission informed.
The exit polls, which were released after the polling ended in Karnataka, predicted that Janata Dal-Secular JD(S) would not touch the 37 seats it won in the 2018 polls but would continue to be a strong regional player in the state. If Karnataka throws up a hung assembly, the JD-S could emerge as the kingmaker. According to India Today-Axis My India exit poll, Congress is poised to win a comfortable majority with 122-140 seats, BJP will get 62-80 seats, JD(S) 20-25 and others 0-3 seats.
A party needs 113 seats for a majority in the 224-member Karnataka assembly. The poll of polls shows an advantage for the Congress with the party poised to win 109 seats, BJP 91 seats and JD-S 23. News24-Today's Chanakya predicted Congress crossing the halfway mark. It said BJP is poised to win 92 seats, Congress, 120 and JD-S 12 seats.