BJP increases lead over Congress in Karnataka

Bengaluru: The BJP today looked on course to emerging as the single largest party in the Karnataka Assembly as it led in 102 constituencies, according to trends available for 195 of the state’s 222 seats polling for which was held on May 12, officials said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was trailing by over 11,000 votes in Chamundeshwari, and leading by a slender margin of around 200 votes in Badami. The ruling Congress was ahead in 53 seats, while the JD(S) of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda in 37.

Trends for 27 seats were not yet available. Candidates of the BSP, a JD(S) ally, Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party, and an independent were leading the field in one constituency each. In the outgoing Assembly, the Congress had 122 seats, BJP and JD(S) 40 each, and smaller parties and independents 22 seats.

BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, B S Yeddyurappa, was ahead in Shikaripura by a margin of over 9,800 votes, while JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy was leading in both Ramanagara and Channapatna.

Prominent among those trailing include ministers Ramamnatha Rai (Bantwal), H C Mahadevappa (T Narasipura), Santosh Lad (Kalagatagi) and Vinay Kulkarni (Dharwad). Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa from Shivamogga, state minister Kagodu Timmappa from Sagara, and the chief minister’s son, Yatindra, from Varuna were leading over their rivals.