Congress party workers started celebrations at the residence of Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru after he won the Kanakapura seat in the state assembly elections on Saturday. The workers began celebrating after the Congress party started showing surges in the vote counts and crossed the halfway mark in the Karnataka election results. Earlier, he was leading by over 20,500 votes against JD(S) leader B Nagaraju and BJP leader and Minister R Ashoka. Meanwhile, Chief Minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai also won in his seat Shiggaon but the BJP has conceded defeat in Karnataka.
Congress MP and DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh was also seen showing a thumbs-up sign after he arrived at the latter's residence in Bengaluru today.
Congress leader Siddaramaiah said, as quoted by news agency ANI, "We told that even if PM Modi comes nothing will work and see that has happened. We are leading in 120 seats. As we expected we will get the majority.”
Earlier today, another Congress leader Kamal Nath said it is certain that Congress will form the next government in Karnataka. He, however, warned that the BJP will attempt to strike a deal with MLAs of other parties and independent candidates.
Karnataka witnessed a remarkable voter turnout of 73.19 percent in the Assembly polls, according to election officials who shared the final figures on Thursday. The voting, which took place on Wednesday, aimed to elect representatives for the 224-member House.
The Chief Electoral Office of Karnataka announced, "Karnataka has created a new record for itself. Final voter turnout for Karnataka Election 2023 stands at 73.19 percent."
Among the districts, Chikkaballapura recorded the highest voter turnout of 85.56 percent, followed closely by Bengaluru Rural at 85.08 percent. On the other hand, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South limits, encompassing parts of Bengaluru city, witnessed the lowest turnout at 52.33 percent, as per the official data.
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.
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.