Karnataka Assembly Election Results 2018: BJP's Yeddyurappa wins in Shikaripura by over 35,000 votes

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was set to emerge as the single largest party in the Karnataka assembly election results, BS Yeddyurappa, the saffron party's chief ministerial candidate, scored a stellar win against his Congress rival in Shikaripura constituency in Shimoga district. He defeated Congress candidate Goni Malatesha by over 35,000 votes.

While Yeddyurappa got 86,983 votes, his rival received 51,586 votes, defeating him by 35,397 votes. This was seventh time that Yeddyurappa contested from the Shikaripura seat.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whose party Congress is set to lose another state to the BJP, is trailing behind JD(S) candidate GT Devegowda (115081) in Chamundeshwari. He is, however, leading by over 1500 votes in Badami where he is facing B Sreeramulu, a Lok Sabha MP and close associate of the controversial Reddy brothers.

The BJP is likely to finish tantalisingly close to the halfway mark, if not score an outright victory, with its candidates winning 35 seats and leading in 70 others, as per the latest available trends. 

Congress candidates have won 8 seats and were ahead in 67 constituencies, while the JD(S) was leading the table in 36 seats, having already won 3.

Regional outfit Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party has won one seat. Mayawati's BSP and an independent candidate were ahead in one seat each.

A party has to secure 112 seats for a simple majority in the Assembly. Though Karnataka has a 224-member Lower House, polling was held for 222 seats. Polling was deferred for the RR Nagar seat on account of alleged electoral malpractices, it was countermanded in Jayanagar following the death of the BJP candidate.