Bengaluru: Counting of votes began on Tuesday in Karnataka's 222 assembly constituencies amid tight security at about 8am, an official said.
Gulf News tracks the developements that occur at the polls (all times UAE).
3.30pm
Party position at 3.30
3.25pm
JD(S)'s HD Kumaraswamy seeks appointment from the Governor
JD(S)'s HD Kumaraswamy seeks appointment from the Governor of #Karnataka this evening, writes we have accepted Congress's support to form the Government. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/epuCqf4m17
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018
3.10pm
Can JD-S and Congress combination win?
Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy will be the party's candidate for the Karnataka Chief Minister's post, it announced on Tuesday after finishing third in the Assembly and getting Congress support.
"It is crystal clear that it will be Kumaraswamy for the Chief Minister's post. With the blessings of the people of Karnataka, he will be the Chief Minister," JD-S spokesperson Danish Ali told a news channel.
Asked if Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Valal can invite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which emerged as the single largest party, to form the government, he said: "How can [the Governor call the BJP] when majority is there with the two parties?
"In Meghalaya, they didn't invite the single largest party," he said.
Asked if the post of Deputy Chief Minister will be offered to the Congress, Ali said the party will ask the Congress to join the government.
"All those details will be discussed later on. Both the parties have come together and we will provide a stable government," he said.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad earlier said it would back the JD-S to form the government following a hung Assembly.
10.17am
'It's Modi's win'
"The mandate is clearly against the divisive politics of the Congress and arrogance of Siddaramaiah. The victory belongs to the extensive campaign by Narendra Modi, party President Amit Shah and our Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa," Karandlaje said.
10am
BJP poised for a grand comeback
The Bharatiya Janata Party( BJP) was on Tuesday set to return to power in its southern bastion, Karnataka, as its candidates crossed the half-way mark in vote count, stunning and ousting the ruling Congress and leaving the JD-S at the third spot.
Noisy celebrations broke out in party offices in Bengaluru, New Delhi and across Karnataka as BJP nominees were on the victory lap in 118 of the 222 constituencies which voted on Saturday.
This was a dramatic jump from the 40 seats the BJP won five years ago.
The Congress, desperate to retain power in the state amid shrinking appeal nationally, suffered major blows and was ahead only in 62 seats, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah trailing in both the constituencies he contested: Badami and Chamundeshwari.
The Congress leader was way behind G.T Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal-Secular in Chamundeshwari, Election Commission officials said. And after leading initially, Siddaramaiah fell behind B.R. Sriramulu of the BJP in Badami.
In contrast, the BJP's Chief Ministerial face, B.S. Yeddyurappa, was ahead of his Congress rival by more than 11,000 votes in Shikaripura.
Energy Minister and Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar said that the numbers indicated that his party was on the way out after five years in power.
Any party or grouping will need 113 of the total 224 seats to secure a majority in the Assembly. Polling did not take place in two constituencies on Saturday.
BJP activists and leaders celebrated noisily in both Bengaluru and New Delhi, waving party flags and shouting slogans hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their main vote-getter, and party President Amit Shah.
There were also celebrations outside the residence of Yeddyurappa, who has been Chief Minister earlier too.
The Janata Dal-Secular of former Prime Minister Gowda, which has been expected to play the role of a kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly, was leading in 40 seats -- the same number it won five years ago.
As the vote count progressed, BJP leaders became assertive, saying they were confident of taking power again in Karnataka while Congress leaders began to speak about the possibility of an alliance with the JD-S.
BJP leader and Union Minister Sadanand Gowda said that there was no question of any alliance.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who is in charge of Karnataka, met BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi.
Analysts said the BJP was leading in Lingayat dominated seats and the JD-S in Vokkaliga dominated areas.
Expectations of a BJP victory in Karnataka lifted the key Indian equity indices during the mid-morning trade session on Tuesday.
According to market observers, broadly subdued Asian indices and disappointing macro-economic inflation data points released on Monday capped some gains.
Sector-wise, healthy buying was witnessed in banking, capital goods, metals, consumer durables and automobile stocks.
The Sensex has so far touched a high of 35,993.53 points and a low of 35,498.83 points during the intra-day trade.
9.33am
Congress is on the way out
As the vote count in the Karnataka Assembly polls showed the BJP crossing the half-way mark, the ruling Congress on Tuesday conceded defeat.
Energy Minister and Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar told the media that the numbers indicated that his party was on the way out after five years in power.
9.26am
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah falls behind
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was on Tuesday trailing in both the constituencies where he contested, officials said.
The Congress leader was way behind G.T Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal-Secular in Chamundeshwari by more than 13,000 votes, Election Commission officials said. And after leading initially, Siddaramaiah fell behind B.R. Sriramulu of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Badami constituency by 428 seats.
9.18am
It's a cliffhanger
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's electoral fate in the south Indian state of Karnataka remained uncertain as voters failed to deliver a decisive result for his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP was leading in 105 seats in the 224-member assembly and is seen emerging as the single largest party, according to the television channel NDTV 24x7. The Congress party, which has governed Karnataka for the last five years, was ahead in 76 seats, it said. Regional party Janata Dal (Secular) was leading in 38 seats.
The inconclusive outcome may result in a hung assembly, paving the way for the Janata Dal (Secular) party, led by former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda, to play kingmaker in forming a coalition government. It's not immediately clear which party Janata Dal (Secular) will align with. A party needs 112 seats for a majority in the state assembly.
Although there's no clear winner in Karnataka, the outcome is likely to be seen as an accomplishment for the BJP, as it strengthened its position in India's south, where it has historically not been popular. For Congress, it's a setback for the party's revival and will further weaken its standing with the electorate.
Besides Karnataka, a state of more than 61 million people, Congress now rules only one other big state - Punjab - and one small and politically insignificant state, Mizoram. The BJP controls 20 states with alliance partners.
The BJP and Congress will next fight in December elections in three key states currently ruled by the BJP - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Karnataka, home to local offices of Intel Corp., General Electric Co. and International Business Machines Corp, has swung from party to party since 1985. The electoral contest has descended into bitterness in recent weeks as Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies and traded barbs on corruption and farmers welfare policies.
9.08am
Far, far ahead in the race
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Tuesday that it had crossed the half-way mark in the vote count in the Karnataka Assembly election.
"We are in a jubilant mood because we have crossed the half-way mark. We are confident of winning," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman S. Shantharam told IANS.
No result has been declared so far. But the counting of the millions of votes polled on Saturday showed the BJP far ahead of the ruling Congress, leaving the JD-S at the third spot.
8.45am
CM Siddaramaiah trailing by over 12,00 votes
Official EC trends: BJP leading on 85 seats, Congress on 47, JD(S) ahead on 35 seats, Others 02. #KarnatakaElections
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018
8.43am
BJP gains ground
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dramatically surged ahead towards the victory mark in the Karnataka Assembly election on Tuesday, leaving the ruling Congress badly bruised and the Janata Dal-Secular at the third spot, officials said.
Reports from counting centres across the southern state showed that BJP candidates were on the winning track in 105 constituencies while the Congress was in the lead in 70. A total of 222 constituencies voted on Saturday.
Any party or grouping will need 113 of the total 224 seats to secure a majority in the Assembly.
JDS, which has been expected to play the role of a kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly, was leading in 43 seats.
As the vote count progressed, BJP leaders became assertive, saying they were confident of taking power again in their only southern bastion. At the same time, Congress leaders began to speak about the possibility of an alliance with the JD-S.
BJP leader and Union Minister Sadanand Gowda said that there was no question of any alliance with the JD-S as his party was headed towards a clear majority.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who is in charge of Karnataka, met BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi.
Analysts said the BJP was leading in Lingayat dominated seats and the JD-S in Vokkaliga dominated areas. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was leading in Badami constituency and trailing in Chamundeshwari.
The BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate, B.S. Yeddyurappa, was on the victory lap in Shikaripura.
"We will win with a majority," said BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia.
The Congress was open to an alliance with the JD-S, party leader Ashok Gehlot said, as the party's top leaders met in New Delhi.
8.30am
Official Election Commission trends
Official EC trends: BJP leading on 85 seats, Congress on 47, JD(S) ahead on 35 seats, Others 02. #KarnatakaElections
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018
8.29am
Talking alliances
In a virtual admission that the Congress may fall short of a majority in Karnataka, party leader Mallikarjun Kharge said on Tuesday that an alliance with the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) was possible.
"We will discuss the issue with the high command. I am going to meet Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot and we will discuss," Kharge said.
But he quickly added that it was too early to predict the outcome of Saturday's Assembly election. Vote count on Tuesday showed the BJP ahead of the ruling Congress with the JD-S at the third spot.
8am
BJP is in the lead
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ahead of the ruling Congress on Tuesday as officials counted the millions of votes polled in the Karnataka Assembly election, leaving the Janata Dal-Secular(JD-S) far behind, officials said.
Determined to make a comeback in its only southern bastion, the BJP was leading in 98 seats and the Congress in 91 of the 222 constituencies that went to the polls on Saturday.
JD-S, of former Prime Minister H.D. Dewe Gowda, which has been expected to play the role of a kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly, was leading in 26 seats, reports from counting centres from across the state said.
Analysts said the BJP was leading in Lingayat dominated seats and the JD-S in Vokkaliga-dominated areas. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was leading in Badami constituency and the BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa in Shikaripura.
Any party or grouping will have to have 113 seats to form a government.
6.30am
Counting of votes begin
Counting of votes began on Tuesday in Karnataka's 222 assembly constituencies amid tight security, an official said.
"Vote counting began at 8am at 38 centres in 30 districts where 72.36 per cent of the 5.07 crore [50.7 million] electorate polled across the state on Saturday, the Election Commission official said.
Votes polled in 26 of the 28 Bengaluru's urban and rural segments are being counted at four centres across the city.
"The poll panel has deployed 16,662 personnel to count votes in each segment and declare the result after the process is completed," noted the official.
The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) were the main contenders among other national, regional and fringe parties in the May 12 elections.
In all, 2,622 candidates, including 217 women contested for the seats, which had 36 reserved for Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes.
Election in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari (RR) Nagar was postponed to May 28 due to seizure of voter ID cards and countermanded in the city's Jayanagar seat due to the death of BJP candidate and MLA B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4. Vote counting in RR Nagar will be taken up on May 31.
