Karnataka election results bjp leads in 67 seats, cong in 42

Karnataka election results- BJP leads in 67 seats, Cong in 42 Karnataka election result 2018 will be declared today. Backing the exit polls, the Satta Bazaar is of the opinion that Modi wave is still intact and is betting big on a BJP win. LIVE updates

The Karnataka Assembly election 2018 result will be known on Tuesday as counting of votes began at 8 am. According to the procedure, postal ballots are being counted first.

According to TV reports, early trends show Congress leading in 75 seats, the BJP in 99, the JD(S) in 41, and others in two seats. "All arrangements have been made for counting of votes in 222 seats from 8 am onwards at 38 centres in 30 districts, including five in Bengaluru where polling was held in 26 of the 28 segments," Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said.A record 72.36 per cent of the 50.7 million (5.07 crore) electorate cast their votes, with 27,908 electors in defence services exercising their franchise through postal ballots.The Election Commission has deployed 16,662 personnel for counting of votes amid tight security. "Postal ballots will be counted first before the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are opened," Kumar said.

The Karnataka election has been billed as the biggest political battle of 2018. The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) bid to reclaim Karnataka has faced its toughest challenge from one man -- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is looking to beat incumbency.Meanwhile, four of the seven polling agencies predicted in their exit polls that the BJP would emerge as the single-largest party today. While most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly with the BJP ahead, two said the BJP would either come very close to or cross the halfway mark of 112 seats, while the India Today-Axis exit poll said the Congress might bag a majority. All exit polls gave the H D Deve Gowdaled Janata Dal (Secular) nearly two dozen seats or more, which could make it the kingmaker if there is a hung Assembly.

A win for the Congress would boost the party's morale for the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram in November-December, and for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It would also ensure that the party would not be reduced to ruling only one big state, that of Punjab, in the entire country. Apart from Punjab, Congress has governments in only Puducherry and Mizoram.No government in Karnataka, since the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata Party one in 1985, has been reelected.Satta bazaar bets big on BJP: The satta bazaar is shortening the odds on a BJP win in Karnataka, even though a third party may eventually feature in the victorious combine. According to the Economic Times, bookies expect the BJP to win 96-98 seats in the Karnataka Assembly, while the Congress may get 85-87 seats. In market parlance, this means bid price is 96 or 85, while the ask price is 98 or 87.

Top 10 developments on Karnataka election 2018 results: 1) BJP takes an early lead: As of 9.47 am, official EC trends showed BJP leading on 67 seats, the Congress leading on 42 seats, Janata Dal (Secular) on 30 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party on one seat, Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party on one seat, and independents on one seat.

2) Siddaramaiah leading in Badami, say TV reports: At the time of reporting, according to NDTV, early trends showed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was leading from the Badami seat, ahead of BJP's B Sreeramulu.

3) Yeddyurappa takes lead in Shikaripura: BJP chief ministerial Candidate B S Yeddyurappa was leading from Shikaripura seat by 3,420 votes over Congress' G B Malatesh, news agency ANI reported.

4) Kumaraswamy takes lead: JD(S)'s H D Kumaraswamy was leading over Congress' Iqbal Husaain by over 7,000 votes in Ramanagara, he was also leading from Channapatna, news agency ANI reported.

5) What exit polls have predicted: The India Today-Axis My India exit poll has predicted that Congress is likely to win 106-118 seats with 39 per cent vote share and will be the single-largest party in Karnataka.

6) Congress rushes top guns to Karnataka to ensure no Goa, Manipur fiasco repeat:

Once bitten, twice shy! The Congress is taking no chances in Karnataka and has sent in its top guns to avoid a repeat of the Goa and Manipur fiascoes in the past, where it failed to form the government despite emerging as the largest party. The party has sent senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot to the southern state where results of the Assembly polls would be out today.

7) Power tariff hiked in Karnataka two days after voting: Two days after the polling to the Karnataka Assembly, the power tariff in the state was on Monday increased by 5.30 per cent overall, with the hike per unit ranging from a minimum of 20 paise to a maximum of 60 paise.

8) Congress slams Modi govt over fuel price hike: Congress on Monday attacked the Modi government for hiking fuel prices, with party president Rahul Gandhi alleging that befooling people is the key principle of "Modinomics".

9) Shashi Tharoor says 'tide is turning against Modi': BJP has suffered an "irreparable and irreversible reputational damage" in the past four years, said Congress leader and former foreign diplomat Shashi Tharoor.Tharoor claimed the Karnataka Assembly polls were going the Congress way.

10) Karnataka Assembly election 2018 the most expensive state election ever?

Karnataka state elections were the "most expensive ever" Assembly poll in the country in terms of money spent by political parties and their candidates, according to an analysis by a research organisation Centre for Media Studies (CMS).

Read our full coverage on Karnataka Assembly Election 2018