TAKA ELECTION RESULTS - MAY 2008 ITS BJP

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Karnataka: BJP finally claims south pole
25 May 2008, 1603 hrs IST,PTI

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BANGALORE: The first ever BJP government in the south will be sworn in on May 28 with the party almost getting a majority, party sources said here. (Watch interactive map)

B S Yeddyurappa will take oath as Chief Minister, the sources said but refused to share further details.

The party, just three short of the magic figure 113 required for a simple majority, said it has the support of four Independents out of the seven who are close to victories. ( Watch: BJP claims Karnataka )

The sources declined to name the Independents who would back the BJP government remarking "they are our rebels".

The election process ends by May 28 on the day the Commission was expected to notify the constitution of the 13th Legislative Assembly in Karnataka.

The BJP has won 110 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. ( Watch: 'It's a historic win for BJP' )

The Congress won 80 seats while JD(S) remained a distant third bagging 28 seats. In the previous elections, BJP and Congress had won 79 and 65 seats respectively while JD(S) got 58.

Others and Independents won six seats.

Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) won Ramanagaram seat for the second consecutive time beating his nearest BJP rival M Rudresh. Congress's Mamata Nichhani, daughter of former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde was in the third position.

Former minister and Congress heavyweight R V Deshpande lost the Haliyal seat to JDS's Sunil Hegde by a margin of 5,425 votes.

BJP Chief Ministerial nominee B S Yeddyurappa, former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh (Congress) and KPCC President M Mallikarjun Kharge were among others who maintained comfortable leads over their respective rivals.

Congress RPT Congress MP Ambareesh (Srirangapatna) and former Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash of Congress (Harappanahalli) were the prominent candidates who were behind.

In Kumta, Dinakar Keshav Shetty of JD(S) won by a slender margin of 20 votes against his nearest Congress rival.
KARNA