Karnataka election results: Congress wins by biggest vote share in 34 years

Congress has won the Karnataka assembly elections by the biggest vote share and seats after a whopping 34 years.

Congress has won the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections by the biggest vote share and seats after a whopping 34 years. Even as the counting was on, political activist Yogendra Yadav said that this election is the biggest victory for “any party in Karnataka" after 1989 during Veerendra Patil's regime when the Congress had won 178 seats with a vote share of 43.76 percent.

Congress supporters celebrate the party's good show in Karnataka Assembly polls (PTI)

The party is way past the 125 seats mark, as per the election commission website at the time of publishing.

According to the data posted by Yadav on Twitter, in 1999, the Congress won 132 seats with a vote share of 40.84 percent, followed by 2013 when the party bagged 122 seats with a vote share of 36.6 percent.

In 1994, JDS won a total of 115 seats with a vote percentage of 33.54. The BJP won 110 seats in 2008 with a vote share of 36.86 percent, followed by in 2018 with 104 seats with a vote percentage of 36.3. In 2004, BJP got a total of 79 seats with a vote share of 28.33 percent.

Massive celebrations began at the Congress offices as early trends began showing a victory for the party in the state. At the time of publishing, Congress has won 126 seats and is leading in 10 more.

Shortly after the BJP conceded defeat, emotional DK Shivakumar said, “I assured Sonia Gandhiji, Rahul Gandhiji and Priyanka Gandhiji, and (Congress boss) Mallikarjun Khargeji I will deliver Karnataka to the fold.” Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi - who has been criticising the Modi government - termed the party's win as “people's strength over crony capitalism.”