We'll assess what cost us the polls: Outgoing minister CN Ashwath Narayan on BJP's Karnataka loss

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 13 : With the Congress racing past the halfway mark and all set to form the next government in Karnataka, BJP leader and outgoing state minister CN Ashwath Narayan said he was "surprised" over the outcome of the Assembly elections.

Speaking to on Saturday, as Congress workers erupted in celebration, Narayan said, "The people of Karnataka have spoken and the results are clearly in favour of the Congress. However, I am surprised at the outcome. We gave good governance to the people and did all we could to win. However, we need to be humble and need to accept the people's verdict, which has gone against us. We'll assess what cost us the polls. We'll discuss and debate," Narayan said.

As per the latest counting trends, the Congress has already won 114 seats and are leading in another 22, while the ruling BJP has won 50 and are in the lead in a further 14 seats.

Ashwath Narayan, who contested the Malleshwaram Assembly constituency, comfortably defeated his closest rival, Congress's Anoop Iyengar, by 41,302 votes.

Reacting to his victory, Narayan said, "I would wholeheartedly like to thank the people of Maleshwaram for blessing me and supporting me in a very big way."

"Their support will give me the strength going forward," he told .

Earlier, as initial counting trends put the Congress in a clear lead over the BJP, celebrations broke out in the party headquarters in the national capital.

The Janata Dal (Secular), the third key electoral player in the state after the BJP and the Congress, which was termed as a possible kingmaker in the exit polls, produced an underwhelming performance, winning 17 seats and leading in 3.

Earlier, speaking to reporters on a visit to a Bengaluru temple, senior party leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy said neither the Congress nor the BJP reached out to him for a possible post-poll alliance in the event of a hung House.

He added that he was hopeful of a good showing by his party.

"The trends will become clear in the next 2-3 hours. Exit polls gave us anywhere between 30-32 seats. I am hopeful of my party faring well," he said earlier.

"No one has reached out to me as yet. Let us wait for the final results. The exit polls gave a clear majority to the Congress, which rules out the possibility of post-poll alliances. Let us see," the JD(S) leader added.