Karnataka Congress president is a strong contendor for the CM post. DK Shivakumar leads from Kanakapura. The Congress is on course for its best-ever performance in Karnataka with the party leading in 63 Assembly seats, while the main challenger BJP is trailing with 42 seats, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Congress is slightly ahead of the ruling BJP in early trends as votes for the Karnataka assembly polls are being counted today. In the 224-seat Karnataka assembly, a party needs to win 113 seats to form the government. Of the total 224 seats, 36 seats are reserved for scheduled castes and 15 for scheduled tribes.
Counting of votes began at 8 am at 36 centres across the state.Most exit polls have given an edge to the Congress over the ruling BJP. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has expressed confidence that the ruling BJP will cross the "magic number" with a clear majority.