‘Rejected…’: Congress’s swipe at PM Modi’s ‘ashirwaad’ for Karnataka as BJP set to lose

The Opposition Congress on Saturday seemed to be on course to breach the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s lone southern citadel Karnataka, with DK Shivakumar-led the party in the state leading in 122 seats.

Buoyed by the initial trends, the Congress said the message given to the BJP was to stick to public issues that matter, even as the saffron party expressed hope of securing the simple majority mark of 113.

The opposition party marched ahead establishing a lead in 122 constituencies, while the BJP was leading in 71 seats, according to the latest Election Commission (EC) trends of counting of votes polled in the Karnataka assembly elections.

The former prime minister HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) is leading in 30 segments, and others in five seats. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai (Shiggaon) and DK Shivakumar (Kanakapura) were leading in their respective seats.

Former CM Jagadish Shettar, who quit the BJP after being denied to contest in the May 10 election for the 224-member assembly, was trailing in Hubballi-Dharwad Central. He was fielded there by the Congress.

JD(S) leader and another former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy was leading in Channapatna against BJP’s CP Yogeshwara.

Shivakumar was ahead of his BJP rival, state minister R Ashoka. Congress leader Pavan Khera said, “This is the message for the BJP that please stick to issues that matter to everyday life of people and don’t try and divide India.”

Reacting to the development, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “As the results firm up in Karnataka it is now certain that the Congress has won and the PM has lost. The BJP had made its election campaign a referendum on the PM and on the state getting his ‘ashirwaad’. That has been decisively rejected!”

“The Congress party fought these elections on LOCAL issues of livelihood and food security, price rise, farmer distress, electricity supply, joblessness, and corruption. The PM injected divisiveness and attempted polarisation. The vote in Karnataka is for an engine in Bengaluru that will combine economic growth with social harmony,” he added.

In the morning, the BJP took an early lead in a neck-and-neck contest against the Congress as the counting of votes for Karnataka elections came in.

At 8.26, the BJP was leading in 86 seats, while the Congress was ahead on 76 seats in the 244-member assembly. The Janata Dal (Secular) was leading in 20 seats.

The counting is being held at 36 centres across the state, in which 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

“The counting of votes will start at 8am across 36 designated centres in the southern state,” the Election Commission said before the counting.

A clear picture of the result is likely to emerge by noon. The magic figure is 113 seats.

This assembly election carried much significance as it was held almost a year before the 2024 general elections. The election witnessed an aggressive battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, and the JD(S).

According to the Election Commission (EC), Karnataka recorded a 73.19 per cent voter turnout in the May 10 assembly elections, the highest-ever voter turnout in the southern state.

Polling was held across 58,545 polling stations to elect the members in the 224-seat Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The majority mark needed to form the government is 113.

Earlier on Friday, Bommai exuded confidence in the BJP return to power in Karnataka. Shivakumar also met with party president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Bengaluru and held discussions on the party’s strategy once the results are declared.