In the past, superstitions and predictions have ruled Karnataka politics, but during the elections this time, they seem to have fallen flat. Vicky Nanjappa explains how.
Although the much-touted Yeddyurappa impact has managed to split the BJP votes in Karnataka, the newly-formed KJP has nothing to cheer about over its performance in polls, notes Vicky Nanjappa.
Caste was always a factor during the Karnataka elections. However, what surprised many was the manner in which the Lingayat vote bank tilted in favour of the Congress which ended up winning 67 out of the 118 areas dominated by the caste group in the state.
In Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal-Secular have tied at the second spot with 40 seats each. Who will now be the main Opposition in the state and who will be its leader?
The fierce contest for the post of chief minister may result in Karnataka Congress leaders Mallikarjuna Kharge and Siddaramaiah going for a 50/50 arrangement, reports Vicky Nanjappa
Congress leaders Siddarmaiah and G Parameshwara are likely to leave with a host of other senior leaders to meet with party high command in New Delhi to hold discussions about the Karnataka elections.
Addressing a press conference in Bangalore after the Congress comfortably gained majority in Karnataka in the assembly polls, state party chief G Parameshwar did not look all that elated as he had lost at his constituency, though he thanked the people who had voted for the party. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Voters in the three main urban centres in Karnataka -- Bengaluru, Mysore and Mangalore -- have resoundingly rejected the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.The Congress has won in 17 of the 28 constituencies in Bengaluru, with major candidates like Roshan Baig, N Harris, R V Devraj, Priya Krishna and Dinesh Gundu Rao all winning in their constituencies.
Yeddyurappa may have had his revenge by proving that his warnings about destroying the Bharatiya Janata Party were not mere threats, but the bigger question is what his future political career would look like now. The BJP too has a lot of thinking to do ahead of the 2014 elections as Karnataka is the only state from where the BJP can win some MP seats. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Despite improving its tally by 12 seats in Karnataka, the poll verdict indicates that the Janata Dal-Secular will have to stay out of power for the next five years. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Many BJP leaders in Karnataka feel mishandling of the Yeddyurappa and Reddy brothers issue cost them the assembly election. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Speaking for the first time after the Bharatiya Janata Party got a drubbing in Karnataka on Wednesday, outgoing chief minister said that the party suffered a loss because of a negative vote.
With Karnataka Congress chief G Parameshwara's defeat Siddaramaiah, currently the leader of Opposition in the assembly, is Congress's favourite for the top job. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda led Janata Dal-Secular, which had hoped to play the role of a kingmaker in Karnataka, on Wednesday said it would sit in the opposition.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yeddyurappa's ominous warnings about destroying the party in the state assembly election were not merely empty threats. On poll verdict day, not only is the ruling party lagging behind the Congress, which is leading by a considerable margin, it may not even be able to flex its muscles as the main opposition party in the next five years. The Janata Dal Secular is likely to beat it to that position.
The electoral predictions made by the various exit polls about the outcome of the Karnataka election seem to have hit bull's eye. The Congress has, expectedly, taken a major lead within the first couple of hours of counting of votes. But the trend that has surprised pundits and politicians alike is the revival of the Janata Dal - Secular, which has relegated the Bharatiya Janata Party to the third position.
Mangalore was a sure shot bastion of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party was said to be vistually unbeatable here. However, the 2013 assembly election results are narrating a completely different story.
If the exit polls in Karnataka are to be believed, the Congress will manage to scrape through and get a thin majority in the state assembly when the votes are counted on Wednesday. But the party may have a tough time in selecting a chief minister as senior leaders Dr G Parameshwar and Siddaramaiah are both eyeing the coveted post.
Was people's desire for change the reason behind the high voter turnout in Karnataka?
A list of constituencies, which have placed on high alert in Karnataka, has been drawn out by the Election Commission. These constituencies, in which security has been tightened, will see a number of heavyweight candidates in the fray.
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