Karnataka election results live: BJP on its way out, says split hurt the party

Bangalore: For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it appears to be game over in Karnataka. The party, which broke into the Congress' bastion, forming its first government in the state, now appears to be struggling to garner even half of the 110 seats it won last time. BS Yeddyurappa, who quit the party last year, has only added to its woes. (Read: JD(S) pushes BJP to number 3)

"This accidental fluke victory of the Congress is because of the split in BJP votes," said the party's Ravi Shankar Prasad, suggesting that Mr Yeddyurappa's newly-formed Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) had hurt the BJP's chances. That certainly must have been Mr Yeddyurappa's aim who had a bitter parting of ways with the BJP last year after the latter refused to reinstate him as chief minister owing to a slew of corruption charges against him. (Read: Highlights of the Karnataka election results)

But the present BJP government led by Jagadish Shettar has not been able to rid itself of the shadow of corruption, and accusations of misgovernance - something that seems to have clearly reflected in the dismal projections for the party today - it is lagging way behind the Congress and just a few seats below the JD(S).