BJP workers celebrate Karnataka poll sweep

With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inching closer towards an emphatic victory in the Karnataka Assembly Elections, holding leads in 112 assembly seat so far in the counting of the votes, BJP workers, on Tuesday, started with their celebrations outside the party office in Bengaluru.

Dismantling the incumbent Congress government will be like another stag-head trophy on the wall for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government, as they have usurped several states from the Congress in recent years.

The latest Election Commission of India trends indicate that the BJP has claimed more seats than the Congress or the JD-S, assuring them of triumph in this crucial elections, which comes in the build-up to the all-important 2019 general elections.

Revelling in the landslide victory, BJP workers were seen parading with flags and raising 'Bharat Mata ki Jai!' slogans outside the party's Bengaluru office, with forming an independent government in the state all but confirmed for the most dominant political party in India's history.

Party workers in New Delhi also joined in the celebrations with flags, banners, and gulaal.

Apart from near-sealing their triumph in next year's Lok Sabha Elections, victory in Karnataka will also open the doors for the BJP to vie for authority in other Southern states as well.

Counting of votes began at 8 a.m. for 221 out of 224 assembly constituencies in 58,546 polling stations in the state. The elections in two constituencies, Jayanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar, both in Bengaluru have been postponed earlier.

A total of 2,654 candidates, including 216 women candidates were in the fray for the Assembly Elections this year.

The BJP fielded 223 candidates, while the Congress and the JDS fielded 222 and 201 candidates respectively.

Out of the 224 seats, 36 of them are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), while 15 of them are for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

It may be noted that a party or an alliance needs 112 seats to form the government.