Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai accepts defeat

The party will accept the election outcome and will use it as an opportunity to learn, according to CM Bommai who stated that the BJP Karnataka would “reorganise the party and come back” for the Lok Sabha elections in 2023.

“We take this result in our stride,” CM Bommai said.

As the votes were being counted for the Karnataka state assembly election, the Congress party was leading with 117 seats while the BJP was ahead in 75, according to trends from the Election Commission of India. This election was seen as a crucial test for both parties ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.

Early celebrations broke out at the Congress headquarters in Bengaluru and Delhi as they edged closer to victory in the crucial southern state. The BJP leaders, on the other hand, were hoping to break a 38-year jinx of Karnataka not voting an incumbent to power, but were facing the possibility of a loss.

The trends for all 224 seats in the state were known by 11 am, with the Congress leading with 117 seats, one notch ahead of the magic number of 113, while the BJP was looking at 75 seats. The Janata Dal-S (JD-S) was hoping to become the kingmaker and was leading in 25 seats.

While many in the BJP said it was too early to call the election, Congress workers and leaders were jubilant, with Congress leader Siddaramaiah saying, “The Congress will win with over 120 seats” and his colleague Pawan Khera adding, “We will come back with a heavy majority. This is a message for the BJP. Please stick to issues that matter to everyday lives of India and don’t try to divide India.”

Shama Mohammed, another Congress leader, attributed the possible win to the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Kanyakumari to Kashmir campaign headed by Rahul Gandhi who walked some 3,000 km over three months.

(With agency inputs)