Karnataka polls: Shivakumar leads, Shettar trails in early trends

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, an aspirant to be Chief Minister, is leading in early trends of counting while Jagadish Shettar, who switched to Congress from Bharatiya Janata Party, is trailing in Hubli-Dharwad-Central. As per trends from Election Commission at 9.45 am, Shivakumar is leading against BJP’s R Ashoka by 6657 votes while Shettar is trailing against Mahesh Tenginakai of BJP by 12,137 votes. The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security across the state. The exit polls predicted a hung assembly with some showing Congress returning to power with a majority. A few exit polls also showed BJP ahead. If there is a hung assembly, Janata Dal (Secular) can play the role of a kingmaker. JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday said that he has not been contacted as yet for the formation of the government in case of a cliffhanger, adding that he is hoping for a good show.