Bharatiya Janata Party veteran BS Yediyurappa on Saturday said the party respects the mandate of the people and it will introspect about the setback, this as the Congress was leading in 135 out of 224 seats in the Karnataka election.
“Victory and defeat aren't new to BJP. Party workers need not be panicked by these results. We will introspect about the party's setback. I respectfully accept this verdict,” the former chief minister told reporters.
Karnataka election results: LIVE Coverage
According to the Election Commission, the Congress has raced past the majority mark as per the latest trends. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which ruled the state for four years, is set to be voted out.
Yediyurappa, or BSY as he is popularly called, had served as the chief minister for first two years since the BJP came to power in 2019 following the collapse of the Congress-JDS coalition government. He had stepped down in 2021, paving way for Basavaraj Bommai to take over as the chief minister.
Earlier, Bommai conceded defeat and said the BJP had not been able to make a mark. “We have not been able to make the mark. The Congress has done it successfully… Once the results come we will do a detailed analysis. As a national party, we will not only analyse but also see what deficiencies and gaps were left at various levels. We take this result in our stride”, the Karnataka chief minister said.
Yediyurappa, or BSY as he is popularly called, had served as the chief minister for first two years since the BJP came to power in 2019 following the collapse of the Congress-JDS coalition government. He had stepped down in 2021, paving way for Basavaraj Bommai to take over as the chief minister.
Earlier, Bommai conceded defeat and said the BJP had not been able to make a mark. “We have not been able to make the mark. The Congress has done it successfully… Once the results come we will do a detailed analysis. As a national party, we will not only analyse but also see what deficiencies and gaps were left at various levels. We take this result in our stride”, the Karnataka chief minister said.
In the 2018 election, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats but had fallen short of the majority mark of 113. The Congress had won 80 while the Janata Dal (Secular) had bagged 37. There was also one independent member, while the BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) had one seat each.
The Congress and JDS came together to forge an alliance and formed the government. But BSY had staked claim and formed the government. He resigned from the post within three days ahead of a trust vote as the BJP was unable to get the numbers.
HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the CM after Congress-JDS formed the government. But the coalition government collapsed in little over a year following resignation of 17 coalition legislators.