Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai concedes defeat; 'We've not been able to make the mark'

As Congress is headed for a majority in Karnataka as per Election Commission trends, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will make a comeback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said that the party will also look into gaps and deficiencies at various levels.

Bommai, who is leading from the Shiggaon seat, said that despite a lot of efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP workers, the saffron party has not been able to make the mark.

Speaking to reporters, Basavaraj Bommai said, "We've not been able to make the mark, despite a lot of efforts put in by everyone, including the PM and the workers. 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. We will reorganise the party and come back in the Lok Sabha elections."

As per the latest trends of ECI at 12:55 pm, the Mallikarjun Kharge-led party won two seats and was leading in 128 constituencies, well above the 113 majority mark in the 224-member House.

The  BJP, which won 104 seats in the previous Assembly polls, was ahead in 66 segments and the JD(S) led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in 22. Others were leading in six segments.

While state Congress President DK Shivakumar (Kanakapura), former CM Siddaramaiah (Varuna), and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy (Channapatna) are among the prominent faces leading in their respective segments, Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil (Ramanagara), BJP national General Secretary CT Ravi (Chikkamagaluru) and former CM Jagadish Shettar of the Congress (Hubli-Dharwad Central) are trailing. 

Siddaramaiah said that Congress will win over 120 seats. "The visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and national BJP President J P Nadda have had no impact on the voters of Karnataka," he said. 

"Congress party will win by getting over 120 seats; it (counting) is still in the initial stage, and more rounds of counting have to be completed. So Congress will come to power by getting over 120 seats on its strength," the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly said.