Former deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka Laxman Savadi is currently leading by nearly 30,000 votes from the second-placed BJP candidate.

Athani has been an interesting seat. Savadi has been a three-time MLA from this seat in 2004, 2008 and 2013, before he lost to the then Congress candidate Mahesh Kumathalli in 2018.

Interestingly, Kumathalli switched to the BJP in 2019 and ended up winning the by-election as well.

Just before the elections, Savadi made a switch to the Congress after being denied a ticket.

As per recent trends, Savadi is leading on the seat on a Congress ticket, having defected from the BJP, against a candidate who was once in the Congress and then defected to the BJP.

Based on the current trends, 70 percent of the votes polled have been in favour of Savadi.

Also Read: Karnataka Election Results Live: Congress crosses 100-seat mark in early leads, celebrations at Delhi HQ

First Published:May 13, 2023 9:37 AM IST