We have crossed half-way mark: BJP
Bengaluru, May 15 (IANS) The BJP said on Tuesday that it had crossed the half-way mark in the vote count in the Karnataka Assembly election.
“We are in a jubilant mood because we have crossed the half-way mark. We are confident of winning,” Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman S. Shantharam told IANS.
No result has been declared so far. But the counting of the millions of votes polled on Saturday showed the BJP far ahead of the ruling Congress, leaving the JD-S at the third spot.
Et tu Karnataka, asks Omar
Srinagar, May 15 (IANS) “Et tu, Karnataka?” former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remarked on Tuesday as the Karnataka Assembly vote count showed the BJP crossing the half way mark.
The National Conference leader took to twitter as the Bharatiya Janata Party appeared set to return to power in its only southern bastion.
Siddaramaiah trailing in both seats
Bengaluru, May 15 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was on Tuesday trailing in both the constituencies where he contested, officials said.
The Congress leader was way behind G.T Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal-Secular in Chamundeshwari by over 13,000 votes, Election Commission officials said.
And after leading initially, Siddaramaiah fell behind B.R. Sriramulu of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Badami constituency by 428 seats.
BJP surges in Karnataka, Congress stunned
Bengaluru, May 15 (IANS) The BJP dramatically surged ahead towards the victory mark in the Karnataka Assembly election on Tuesday, leaving the ruling Congress badly bruised and the JD-S at the third spot, officials said.
Reports from counting centres across the southern state showed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates were on the winning track in 105 constituencies while the Congress was in the lead in 70. A total of 222 constituencies voted on Saturday.
Any party or grouping will need 113 of the total 224 seats to secure a majority in the Assembly.
The Janata Dal-Secular of former Prime Minister H.D. Dewe Gowda, which has been expected to play the role of a kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly, was leading in 43 seats.
As the vote count progressed, BJP leaders became assertive, saying they were confident of taking power again in their only southern bastion. At the same time, Congress leaders began to speak about the possibility of an alliance with the JD-S.
BJP leader and Union Minister Sadanand Gowda said that there was no question of any alliance with the JD-S as his party was headed towards a clear majority.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who is in charge of Karnataka, met BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi.
Analysts said the BJP was leading in Lingayat dominated seats and the JD-S in Vokkaliga dominated areas. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was leading in Badami constituency and trailing in Chamundeshwari.
The BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa was on the victory lap in Shikaripura.
“We will win with a majority,” said BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia.
The Congress was open to an alliance with the JD-S, party leader Ashok Gehlot said, as the party’s top leaders met in New Delhi.
BJP leads in Karnataka vote count
Bengaluru, May 15 (IANS) The BJP was ahead of the ruling Congress on Tuesday as officials counted the millions of votes polled in the Karnataka Assembly election, leaving the JD-S far behind, officials said.
Determined to make a comeback in its only southern bastion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 98 seats and the Congress in 91 of the 222 constituencies that went to the polls on Saturday.
The Janata Dal-Secular of former Prime Minister H.D. Dewe Gowda, which has been expected to play the role of a kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly, was leading in 26 seats, reports from counting centres from across the state said.
Analysts said the BJP was leading in Lingayat dominated seats and the JD-S in Vokkaliga dominated areas. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was leading in Badami constituency and the BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa in Shikaripura.
Any party or grouping will have to have 113 seats to form a government.
Vote count begins in Karnataka
Bengaluru, May 15 (IANS) Counting of votes began on Tuesday in Karnataka’s 222 assembly constituencies amid tight security, an official said.
“Vote counting began at 8 a.m. at 38 centres in 30 districts where 72.36 per cent of the 5.07 crore electorate polled across the state on Saturday, the Election Commission official told IANS here.
Votes polled in 26 of the 28 Bengaluru’s urban and rural segments are being counted at four centres across the city.
“The poll panel has deployed 16,662 personnel to count votes in each segment and declare the result after the process is completed,” noted the official.
The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) were the main contenders among other national, regional and fringe parties in the May 12 elections.
In all, 2,622 candidates, including 217 women contested for the seats, which had 36 reserved for Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes.
Election in Bengaluru’s Raja Rajeshwari (RR) Nagar was postponed to May 28 due to seizure of voter ID cards and countermanded in the city’s Jayanagar seat due to the death of BJP candidate and MLA B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4. Vote counting in RR Nagar will be taken up on May 31.