In a surprising announcement, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai stated on Saturday that the BJP has accepted defeat in the ongoing Karnataka Assembly elections, even as the vote counting process is still underway. As per the latest update from the Election Commission, the Congress party is leading in 125 seats, followed by the BJP in 69 seats, JD(S) in 24 seats, and others in 6 seats as of 1 PM. The counting process commenced at 8 am across 36 centers throughout the state, following a "record" turnout of 73.19% in the voting held on May 10.