The southern state of Karnataka went to polls in two phases, with 14 constituencies each voting on 18 and 23 April. With 28 seats, Karnataka has the second highest number of Lok Sabha seats in the south after Tamil Nadu. Polling was held in 14 seats on Kolar, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, Chamarajnagar, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Bangalore Rural, Udupi-Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada and Chikkballapur in the second phase. The remaining 14 seats of Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Koppal, Bidar, Raichur, Shimoga, Davanagere, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, Haveri, Bellary, Chikkodi and Belgaum went to polls in the third phase.
The electoral contest was between the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress combine. As per the seat-sharing agreement between the JD(S) and the Congress, the former contested on eight seats while the rest was with the latter. However, the coalition seems to be facing some trouble, especially in Hassan, Tumkuru and Mandya, where possible rebellions may be brewing over the seat-sharing arrangement.
In the last elections, the BJP emerged as a winner with 17 seats, while the Congress could only win nine. The JD(S) won just two seats.
In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) performed extremely well after the return of BS Yeddyurappa in the party fold. The 2014 election in Karnataka was held in a single phase on April 17. The state sends 28 members to the Lok Sabha. The BJP won 17 of these seats whereas the Congress was restricted to just 9 seats in the state. The Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) was successful in the remaining 2 seats (Mandya and Hassan). In 2009, the BJP was successful on 19 seats and the Congress and the JDS won 6 and 3 seats respectively.
The BJP received 1,33,50,285 votes with a vote share of 43.37 per cent. The Congress garnered 1,26,66,530 votes with a vote share of 41.15 per cent whereas the JDS, known as the third force in the state, got 34,06,465 votes with a vote share of 11.07 per cent. According to our analysis, the BJP was ahead in 132 Assembly segments during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress was leading on 77 and the JDS on 15.
In 2009, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 19 seats whereas the Congress begged 6 seats and the JD(S) won 3.
Karnataka General (Lok Sabha) Election Results 2004
• BJP – 18
• INC – 8
• JDS – 2
Karnataka General (Lok Sabha) Election Results 1999
• BJP 7
• INC 18
• JD(U) 3
What was the result of Karnataka Assembly Elections in 2018?
The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly Elections and won 104 seats in the 224-member Assembly. The party received 1,32,68,284 votes with a vote share of 36.3 per cent. The ruling Congress was routed in these elections and won only 80 seats (2 after bypolls). The party received 1,39,32,531 votes with a vote share of 38.1 per cent. The party got the maximum votes in the state but lost its majority. The JDS, on the other hand, received 67,26,668 votes with a vote share of 18.3 per cent and won 37 seats in Karnataka. The party contested the elections in an alliance with the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which won a single seat in the Assembly.