K'taka polls: Cong wins in Challakere constituency, leads in 128 seats

BENGALURU: Congress candidate T Raghumurthy was on Saturday declared winner from the Challakere Assembly constituency becoming the first registered win as the counting of votes progressed for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls.

Raghumurthy defeated Janata Dal (Secular's) Ravish Kumar with a margin of 16,450, according to the Election Commission.

According to the ECI's latest data at 12.30 pm, Congress is leading in 127 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 68 seats. Celebrations had begun at Congress headquarters in Delhi in anticipation of victory as the election trends trickled in. Former Karnataka CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy visited a temple in Bengaluru this morning.

Kumaraswamy today 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.