Karnataka Election Updates 2023: Vote counting underway, BJP face challenge from Congress in first big election of this year

• Image Credit: Business Today

• May 13, 2023 | Poonam Nath

Karnataka had the highest voter turnout in the southern state, with 73.19 percent...

Digital Desk: The spotlights are on the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka that went to the polls on May 10, as voting began at 8 a.m. on Saturday amid tight security. The counting is taking place at 36 locations around the state, with 2,615 candidates competing.

According to the Election Commission (EC), Karnataka had the highest voter turnout in the southern state, with 73.19 percent voting in the May 10 assembly elections.

Elections for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly were held in 58,545 polling stations. The number of votes required to create a government is 113.

Here are some of the latest updates on The Karnataka Election 2023: 

According to the most recent figures, the Congress leads in 41 of the 75 constituencies with a voter turnout of more than 80%, while the BJP leads in 35 of the 60 constituencies with a voter turnout of less than 70%. On May 10, the State saw a record turnout of 73.19 percent in voting for the 224-member Assembly.

In a report from the Election Commission of India trends, the opposition Congress is now ahead of the ruling BJP in Karnataka. Mallikarjun Kharge's party now leads in 57 seats, while the BJP leads in 34. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S) has taken an early lead in seven segments.

According to recent trends, the BJP appears to perform better in smaller constituencies that are often urban and cover less than 100 square kilometres. The BJP is leading in 23 of the 33 minor seats.

According to the latest polls, BJP's Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is running from the electorally important Belagavi district seat of Gokak, is ahead. 

The following is the current party position in the ongoing Karnataka Assembly elections as of 10:41 a.m., based on the Election Commission's latest counting trends. On May 10, an election for 224 seats was held:

Party Leading BJP: 73 Congress: 117 JD(S): 28 Others: 05

According to the early polls, BY Vijayendra, son of former chief minister and Lingayat politician BS Yediyurappa, is leading in Shikaripura assembly constituency. 

Priyank Kharge, Congress Leader, Takes the Lead in Chittapur Early indications suggest that Priyank Kharge, a two-term MLA from Chittapur, is in the lead in the assembly constituency. 

As per the most latest update, even in the Lingayat-dominated Central and Mumbai-Karnataka regions, the Congress appears to be ahead, shattering the BJP's stranglehold on the Lingayat vote bank.

The election saw a high-octane contest between the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S))