Opposition Congress in Karnataka forged ahead of its rival, the ruling BJP, according to the initial trends of counting of votes polled for the May 10 Assembly elections. The Mallikarjun Kharge-led party crossed the halfway mark in the early trends and was leading in 115 seats. The BJP was head in 73 seats. The JD(S), led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, gained an early lead in 29 segments.
The Congress has been maintaining a wide lead against the ruling the BJP since the counting started at 8:00 am.
At 9:20 am, the Congress which is eyeing to wrest the power from the BJP reached the halfway mark and was ahead in 118 seats, while the saffron party which is looking to break the 34-year-old election jinx in the state was leading in 80 seats. Meanwhile, the JD(S), which is likely to be the kigmaker if the two national parties fail to secure a clear majority, was leading in 24 seats.
BJP and Congress camps went into a huddle on Friday, a day before the Assembly poll results, with anxious leaders of both parties brainstorming on their next moves if there is no decisive verdict, a prospect dreaded by both the national parties.