A file photo of former CM and Congress leader Jagdish Shettar with supporters. PTI
Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, May 13
The Congress on Saturday took early lead in Karnataka as votes were counted for the 224 member assembly.
Several ministers of the ruling BJP were trailing though chief minister Basavaraj Bommai was comfortably ahead.
The Congress gained heavily in Mumbai Karnataka region which has 50 seats, second highest after Old Mysuru’s 55 seats.
Mumbai Karnataka houses assembly segments of CM Bommai (Shiggaon) and BJP rebels — ex-CM Jagdish Shettar and ex-deputy CM Laxman Savadi.
Shettar and Savadi, prominent Lingayat leaders, are prominent Lingayat leaders, a caste the BJP was banking on heavily for victory.
While Shettar is trailing to BJP’s Mahesh Tengankai, Savadi is leading over BJP’s Mahesh Kumathalli.
The Congress also appeared to hold ground in Bengaluru region where the BJP also appeared to make gains.
In 2018 Congress had won 15 of 28 seats in Bengaluru with BJP trailing at 11.
BJP has made gains in Bengaluru on the back of PM Narendra Modi’s two day roadshow here.
Importantly defectors Mahesh Kumathalli and Ramesh Jharkiholi who crossed over to the BJP enabling the fall of Congress JDS government in 2019 and installation of the BJP government we’re both trailing from Athani and Gokak (Belgaum).
In Ballari’s Gangawati former BJP minister and mining baron Gali Janardan Reddy is leading. Reddy had formed his own party Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha.
In Ballari BJP is suffering a setback so also in Mandya.
In coastal Karnataka’s Udupi and Mangaluru, the BJP is set to retain its gains.
This is a small region with 19 seats where BJP won 16 last time and is maintaining leads in at least 15 seats as of latest leads.
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