CT Ravi loses Chikmagalur to Congress candidate HD Thammaiah

As Congress has comfortably crossed the halfway mark in the Karnataka Assembly Elections, BJP National General Secretary and former Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi lost by a margin of over 3,500 votes from Congress candidate HD Thammaiah in Chikmagalur Assembly seat in the Western Ghats.

According to the latest data shared by Election Commission, Congress is at 137 as it leads in 101 seats and won 36 seats. BJP is leading in 45 seats and won 17 seats.

According to the Election Commission of India:

1. BJP's CT Ravi: 37,631 votes
2. Congress' HD Thammiah: 42,475 votes 

Vote share:

1. CT Ravi: 45.23 percent
2. HD Thammiah: 51.05 percent

Who is CT Ravi?

A senior BJP leader, CT Ravi has seved as the state in-charge of Tamil Nadu, Goa and Maharashtra. Ravi contested the polls for the first time in 1999, which he lost to Congress' CS Sageer. Bouncing back in 2004, CT Ravi was elected to the Assembly from the Chikmagalur seat and retained it in 2008, 2013, and 2018.

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai concedes 

Earlier in the day, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai conceded and said the Karnataka BJP will make a comeback in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He said the party will look into gaps and deficiencies at various levels.  

"We've not been able to make the mark, despite a lot of effort put in by everyone, including the PM and the workers. Once the results come we will do a detailed analysis," Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai said while speaking to reporters. "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. We will re-organise the party and come back in the Lok Sabha elections."

Bommai himself contested the assembly elections from the Shiggaon constituency and is leading with 86,823 votes trailing Congress candidate Pathan Yasir Ahmed Khan (57,413 votes).

Karnataka election results 2023

The Congress party swept the Karnataka elections on May 13. The grand old party is leading in 136 seats while the BJP is leading in 64 seats. The Janata Dal (Secular) is winning in 20 seats.