Karnataka polls: Shivakumar leads, Shettar trails in early trends

BENGALURU: Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, an aspirant to be Chief Minister, is leading in early trends of counting while Jagadish Shettar, who switched to Congress from Bharatiya Janata Party, is trailing in Hubli-Dharwad-Central.

As per trends from Election Commission at 9.45 am, Shivakumar is leading against BJP's R Ashoka by 6657 votes while Shettar is trailing against Mahesh Tenginakai of BJP by 12,137 votes.

The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security across the state. The exit polls predicted a hung assembly with some showing Congress returning to power with a majority.

A few exit polls also showed BJP ahead. If there is a hung assembly, Janata Dal (Secular) can play the role of a kingmaker. JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday said that he has not been contacted as yet for the formation of the government in case of a cliffhanger, adding that he is hoping for a good show.

"In the next 2-3 hours, it will become clear. Exit polls show that the two national parties will score in a big way. The polls have given 30-32 seats to JD(S). I am a small party, there is no demand for me...I am hoping for a good development," he said.

"No one has contacted me till now. Let us see the final results first. According to the exit polls, there is no need for options. Let us see," the JD(S) leader added.

The exit polls, which were released after the polling ended in Karnataka, predicted that Janata Dal-Secular JD(S) would not touch the 37 seats it won in the 2018 polls but will continue to be a strong regional player in the state.

The fiercely contested election that saw high-pitch campaigns from the political parties is crucial for both BJP and Congress.