Reacting to the early trends in Karnataka which showed the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) leading in over 100 seats, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the outcome would have been different if the Congress had joined hands with the JD(S) before elections.
Congratulating the BJP on its “win” in the southern state, Banerjee tweeted: “Congratulations to the winners of the Karnataka elections. For those who lost, fight back. If Congress had gone into an alliance with the JD(S), the result would have been different. Very different.”
According to the latest trends, the BJP is leading in 106 constituencies, six short of the number required for a simple majority in the Assembly. The ruling Congress is ahead in 73 seats, while former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) is leading in 41 constituencies.
Counting is underway for 222 of 224 seats which went to polls on May 12. Elections for the remaining two seats, RR Nagar and Jayanagar, will be held on May 28. The election saw a three-way contest between the incumbent Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, BS Yeddyurappa-led BJP and the JD(S).
Karnataka saw the highest voter turnout of 72.13 per cent since the 1952 Assembly elections. Counting of votes is underway across 38 centres in 33 districts of the state.