There are a total of 32 seats in the Greater Bengaluru region.(Image: News18)
As the results of the May 10 election unfolded, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat, marking the BJP’s second loss after Himachal Pradesh in December last year.
According to experts, the BJP’s performance in this region would have been worse if Prime Minister Narendra Modi hadn’t conducted a last-minute roadshow in Bangalore to appeal to voters.
While the BJP may have lost many assembly seats across the state, the tally for the Greater Bengaluru region shows improvement in the party’s performance compared to the previous election, where they had won 11 seats in the area.
The Congress returned to power in Karnataka after 10 years, reclaiming the only southern state stronghold from the BJP. This victory comes as a crucial boost for the grand old party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, countering the predictions of several exit polls that anticipated a hung assembly.
As the results of the May 10 election unfolded, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat, marking the BJP’s second loss after Himachal Pradesh in December last year. Despite the efforts of party workers and even the prime minister, the BJP failed to make a significant impact.
According to the latest trends on the Election Commission website, the Congress was leading or had won 136 of the 224 assembly seats, comfortably surpassing the majority mark of 113. The BJP was leading in 64 seats, a sharp decline from its previous tally of 104 in 2018. The JD-S, which aspired to be the kingmaker, was leading in 20 seats, down from 37 in the previous election.
With the much-needed victory in the crucial southern state, celebrations erupted at Congress offices across the country, from Bengaluru to Bikaner and Ranchi to Ahmedabad, with party workers dancing to drumbeats and setting off firecrackers.