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The BJP has won 12 out of 15 seats in Karnataka by-elections, held on 5 December. The Congress, meanwhile, has won two seats, and the JD(S) has drawn blank in the polls.
Dinesh Gundu Rao has resigned as Karnataka Congress president, while former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has resigned as the leader of Opposition, on Monday, 9 December.
Speaking on the bypolls, PM Modi slammed the Congress saying, “The mandate in Karnataka was stolen through the backdoor by Congress. People have now taught the party a lesson.”
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Ahead of the counting of votes for the byelections at 15 assembly segments, leaders in Karnataka visited temples and Maths on Sunday seeking divine intervention.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa went to Dharmasthala and sought the blessings of Lord Manjunatha, reported PTI.
Amid chanting of hymns, Yediyurappa performed a special puja in the temple for his partys (BJP) victory in the polls and successful completion of his tenure in the next three-and-a-half years.
Counting of votes has begun for 15 Assembly seats in Karnataka. The results of the bypolls, which were held on 5 December, will decide the fate of the BJP government in the state.
According to early trends, the BJP is leading in nine seats out of 15 Assembly seats in Karnataka, while the Congress and JD(S) are ahead in one each, reported CNN-News18.
According to trends at 9 am, the leads are as follows for the 15 Assembly seats in Karnataka:
Here’s how the parties stack up against each other as per the latest trends for the Karnataka bypolls:
With the latest trends showing the BJP leading in 11 out of 15 seats in Karnataka, celebrations have already begun at the party office in Bengaluru.
With the Congress leading in just two seats out of 15 and the JD(S) in none, Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar accepted his party’s defeat in the bypolls.
“We have to agree with the mandate of the voters of these 15 constituencies. People have accepted the defectors. We have accepted defeat. I don't think we have to be disheartened,” he was quoted as saying.
BJP’s Shivaram Hebbar has won from the Yellapur constituency, defeating Congress’ Bhimanna Naik by a margin of 31,406 votes.
With the trends showing a comfortable win for the BJP in the Karnataka bypolls, state CM BS Yediyurappa was pictured celebrating with his son BY Vijayendra.
With the BJP set to secure a comfortable majority in the Karnataka bypolls, party leader and state CM BS Yediyurappa said that he’s confident that the government would continue for the next three-and-a-half years.
“We are happy to have won so many seats for the BJP and Narendra Modi. Even in KR Pete, which is also my birthplace, where we had so far been unable to win, I’m very happy that our candidate has won. These MLAs will get good posts as ministers and will be given a chance to help the party grow. I’m happy people have reposed faith in us.”
With BJP leading in 12 seats out of 15 in Karnataka, PM Modi slammed the Congress at a rally in Jharkhand, saying “Congress and its allies (had) subverted the mandate” in the state and “stabbed it in the back”.
“The mandate in Karnataka was stolen through the backdoor by Congress. People have now taught the party a lesson… Some people said the BJP has limited influence in the South. The people of Karnataka defeated and punished them in a dramatic way during bypolls,” Modi was quoted as saying.
Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah resigned as the leader of Opposition, with the BJP set to secure a comfortable majority in the Karnataka bypolls.
“As a leader of legislative party, I need to respect democracy. I have resigned as Congress Legislative Party leader. I have submitted my resignation to Sonia Gandhi,” said Siddaramaiah.
Dinesh Gundu Rao has resigned as the Karnataka Congress president, following the BJP’s comfortable victory in the bypolls.
Published: 09 Dec 2019,06:29 AM IST