The Congress workers are celebrating as the party has retaken the only South Indian state that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has so far managed to get a hold on.
Of the 224 seats in the Karnataka assembly elections, the Congress party has won 133 and is leading on another three seats, compared to 63 seats the BJP has won along with two seats it's leading in, according to the data updated by the Election Commission (EC) at 7:45 pm.
While the Congress formally won 113 seats later in the day, outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of BJP conceded victory earlier in the day. Bommai said they "were not able to make a mark" this time.
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However, the BJP has managed to retain the coastal Karnataka region that has often being described as 'Hindutva laboratory' of the saffron party.
The Karnataka elections were widely seen as a litmus test for the two dominant parties ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.
Here are the region-wise trends from earlier today:
North
In the northern Kalyan and Kittur districts of Karnataka, Congress is in a clear lead as per the early trends, while the BJP is trailing.
In the crucial Hubbali-Dharwad, BJP’s Mahesh Tengginakai won with a clear margin, defeating former chief minister and Congress leader Jagadish Shettar. From Athani, Laxman Savadi of Congress won against BJP’s Mahesh Kumathalli.
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In Shiggaon, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has won the seat against Congress' Pathan Yasir Ahmed Khan.
South
In the southern districts of the Old Mysuru region in Karnataka, the Congress took a comfortable lead against the BJP which lost its turf in several constituencies. Meanwhile, the JD(S) trailed to the third spot. In Varuna, Leader of Opposition and Congress’ Siddaramaiah is in a comfortable against BJP’s V Somanna. In Kanakapura, Congress’ DK Shivakumar defeated B Nagaraju of the JD(S) and BJP’s R Ashoka.
Bangalore
The Bangalore region of Karnataka has been a strong turf for the saffron party in the past few years. This time too, the BJP is leading the region in five out of seven seats, while Congress is leading in two.
BJP is leading in Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, Dasarahalli, Yeshwanthapura and Bangalore South constituencies, whereas Congress is leading in Byatarayanapura and Anekal, as per the ECI data.
Coastal Region
The BJP is holding the fort in its bastion of the coastal region in the western part of Karnataka. Despite the Congress party’s significant victory in the rest of the state, it did not make much headway in the coastal belt. In Uduppi, which was the centre of the hijab controversy, Bajrang Dal activist Yashpal Anand Suvarna defeated Congress candidate Prasadraj Kanchan.
The Mangalore constituency was the only consolation for Congress, where the former minister UT Khader achieved a shining victory with a margin of more than 22,000 votes, against BJP's Satish Kumpala, according to data published by ECI.
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According to the exit poll predictions, the Congress is expected to have an edge in Karnataka this year, which is BJP's southern citadel. However, some pollsters have predicted the state to witness a hung assembly.
While the BJP, riding on the Narendra Modi juggernaut, is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the state has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985, the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it much-needed momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a fractured mandate, as it has done in the past.
