Congress set to form government in Karnataka

 Karnataka has delivered an unambiguous verdict. The Congress will form the next government and will not need help. The party is leading in 119 seats, which will give it a majority in the 224-seat Assembly. (In pics: Celebrations begin)

The Janata Dal (Secular), which is the other big gainer of the day, has pushed the BJP to number 3 and will be the main Opposition party.

After five years of turbulent rule in Karnataka, the BJP is history. The Janata Dal (Secular) is leading in 42, the BJP in 35 and BS Yeddyurappa's KJP in 11.

Celebrations have begun at the Congress headquarters in Bangalore. And in Delhi. The party, which rules at the Centre, needs the good news, caught as it is in a series of corruption scandals perilously close to general elections, now months away.

To a state that saw three BJP chief ministers in the last two years, the Congress' promise of a stable government clearly appealed. Among frontrunners for Chief Minister in the Congress are K Siddaramaiah, a powerful backward caste leader and state party president G Parameshwara, who is very tense right now as he trails in his constituency Kortagere. Two Union ministers Veerappa Moily and Mallikarjun Kharge also have their hats in the ring.

Each has rolled out the stock Congress answer since morning, "The high command will decide."

Mr Yeddyurappa has effectively split the BJP's vote, but has failed to convert that into gains for his newly floated Karnataka Janata Party. But he is hanging in there, offering help in government formation if his likely clutch of seats are needed.

The BJP has fared poorly even in urban strongholds like Bangalore, which has voted for Congress. "This accidental fluke victory of the Congress is because of the split in BJP votes," declared the BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad.