Bengaluru, May 15: The Janata Dal (Secular) has accepted the offer extended by the Congress high command following the fractured mandate of Karnataka. JD(S) said it has agreed to ink a post-poll pact with the Congress as it is in "accordance with the mandate of the people".

JD(S) national spokesperson Tanvir Ahmed said their state unit chief HD Kumaraswamy would be taking oath as the Chief Minister on May 18. "The mandate of the people was to keep the communal forces out. More than 60 per cent of the people have voted against the BJP. In accordance with the mandate, we have agreed to join hands with the Congress," he said.

Shortly before the announcement of post-poll tie-up between the Congress and JD(S), incumbent CM Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation. While addressing the press, he said the party respects the mandate of the people.

Alongside him, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was deputed by the party high command to Karnataka last night, said he had telephonic conversations with both Kumaraswamy and his father -- the JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda. "We have decided to form a coalition. We will meet the Governor in the evening and stake our claim to form the next government," Azad said.

Governor Vajubhai Vala, however, has refused to meet the delegation of Congress and JD(S) leaders till the final results of the elections get declared by the Election Commission of India.

Here is the election results status shared by ECI at 3:30 pm:

Karnataka

Result Status (at 3:30 pm)

Status Known For 222 out of 224 Constituencies
Party Won Leading Total
Bahujan Samaj Party 1 0 1
Bharatiya Janata Party 75 29 104
Indian National Congress 45 33 78
Janata Dal (Secular) 20 17 37
Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party 1 0 1
Independent 0 1 1
Total 142 80 222

The Congress suffered a major setback, as it has been reduced from 122 to around 72-78 seats. The BJP, on the other hand, rose from 40 seats in 2013 to 102-106 seats. The JD(S), meanwhile, extended its lead on 37-41 seats. The final results were not declared by the time this report was published.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 15, 2018 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).