The Congress has won 136 out of the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka, comfortably over the required majority of 113. Meanwhile, the BJP has only 64 seats leading, and the JD-S, which was hoping to play the role of kingmaker, has 20 seats leading. In his acknowledgement of the defeat of the BJP, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has stated that the party could not leave a significant mark on the election.
The current election’s outcome is perceived as an important indicator of the general elections slated for 2024. The stakes are high for both the Congress and BJP as the former has not won any state election except Himachal Pradesh since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while Karnataka is the only southern state where the latter holds power.
As the leads have transformed into victories, the focus has shifted to Congress and its decision regarding the next chief minister. Despite the Prime Minister’s and party cadres’ efforts, the BJP has won fewer seats, and Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai conceded that the party’s performance was disappointing.
The Congress has won seats in Bangalore, Kalyan Karnataka, Kittur Karnataka, and South regions, while the BJP has won in the coastal Karnataka regions.
DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress chief, has emerged victorious from the Kanakapura constituency with an impressive 70% of the total votes. Meanwhile, Basavaraj Bommai has won from the Shiggaon constituency.
As a result of the reelection of Priyank Kharge, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, to the seat of Chittapur, Kharge expressed his gratitude to the Karnataka voters for re-electing him for a third consecutive term.
Expressing his gratitude to the people of the state, the Congress party chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, acknowledged the massive mandate that the party received in the elections. Kharge also reaffirmed the party’s commitment to fulfilling all five guarantees made to the electorate.
Following the Congress’s successful attainment of the majority mark in the 224-seat Karnataka Assembly, a press conference was held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
Reported by Matrika Shukla.
