Cong set to return to power after seven yrs, BJP falls behind JD (S)

BANGALORE: The Congress was set to return to power in Karnataka after a gap of seven years, early trends from counting of votes on Wednesday showed. It was leading in 117 of the 223 assembly seats for which the state voted on May 5.

The ruling BJP – hit by factionalism and rebellion within its ranks -- was staring at a dismal show, with its lead limited to 35 seats, sharply down from the 110 seats it won in the last election in the state.

Trends for the four-cornered contest available at 10.30 am on Wednesday pointed to the Janata Dal (Secular), led by HD Kumaraswamy -- son former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, winning 41 seats, a tally that could make it the second largest party in the new assembly.

That would mean the JD (S) pushing BJP from the opposition bench if Congress manages to reach the 113-mark on its own, or with the help of independents.

The BJP has yielded ground to Congress in areas where it had drawn much of its electoral strength in the 2008 polls in Hyderabad-Karnataka and Bombay-Karnataka regions, as also surprisingly to JD-S.

Congress tasted first win in Puttur Constituency by its Candidate Shakunathala Shetty,  Abhaya Chandra Jain (Moodabidire), Vasanth Bangera (Belthangady) have won.

This shows Congress has strong wave in Coastal Karnataka.