BJP forged ahead leading in 51 seats while the ruling Congress was leading in 26 constituencies today in the Karnataka Assembly polls, according to official trends.
JD(S) was leading in two seats, official sources said, more than an hour after counting of votes in the May 12 polls began at 8 am.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was ahead in the Badami assembly constituency in north Karnataka, but trailing in Chamundeshwari in his home town Mysuru by over 11,000 votes against his main rival G T Deve Gowda of the JD(S).
The BJP's chief ministerial candidate, B S Yeddyurappa, was ahead in Shikaripura, and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy in Ramanagara.
Prominent among those trailing include ministers Ramamnatha Rai from Bantwal and H C Mahadevappa from T Narasipura, the sources said.
Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa from Shivamogga, senior most candidate in the electoral fray and minister Kagodu Timmappa from Sagara and the chief minister's son, Yatindra, from Varuna were also leading over their rivals.
More From This Section
A total of 222 of the 224 assembly constituencies in the state went to polls in Karnataka.
Polling for R R Nagar seat was deferred on account of alleged electoral malpractices while it was countermanded in Jayanagar seat following the death of the BJP candidate.