By NNN-PTI,
Bangalore : The BJP bagged 11 of the 14 seats for which results were declared as the saffron party was on course today to become the single largest party in the Karnataka assembly.
As per trends available after four hours of counting for 224 seats, the BJP was also leading in 101. The Congress and the JDS was ahead in 71 and 29 seats respectively. Others and Independents led in nine segments.
Congress won two and the JDS bagged one.
BJP’s Narasimha Naik bagged the Shorapur seat, beating his nearest Congress rival Raja Venktappa Naik by 4,000 votes, while former minister B Sriramulu defeated Ramprasad of Congress in Bellary Rural (Reserved) by over 25,000 votes. In Sullia (SC), BJP’s S Angara humbled Dr Raghu of Congress by over 5,300 votes.
Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JDS established an unassailable lead of 34,158 votes against his rival political novice Mamata Nichhani of Congress.
BJP chief ministerial nominee B S Yeddyurappa, former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh (Congress) and KPCC President M Mallikarjun Kharge were among others who maintained comfortable leads over their respective rivals.
BJP MP Ambareesh (Srirangapatna), former deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash of the Congress (Harappanahalli), R V Deshpande, who is looking for a seventh win from Haliyal are the prominent candidates who were behind.