Varuna Election Result 2023 Live: Siddaramaiah vs Somanna in high-stakes battle, results today

Varuna Election 2023 Result Live Updates: The counting of votes will begin at 8 AM today to decide the outcome of the election to the Varuna Assembly constituency in Karnataka. Varuna, a keenly watched constituency in the state owing to its Lingayat domination, has the potential to impact the overall result of the Karnataka Assembly Election. A traditional stronghold of the Congress party, this time the constituency witnessed former BJP legislator from T Narasipur, Dr Bharathi Shankar, who is now a Janata Dal (Secular) candidate, contest against Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for Housing V Somanna from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The seat has been a Siddaramaiah family bastion, with the former chief minister winning in 2008 and 2013, and his son Yathindra winning the seat in 2018 by defeating BJP candidate T Basavaraju by a margin of 58,616 votes and securing 52.53 per cent of the total votes polled. Out of the total electorate of 2,34,533, Varuna saw 1,98,740 people voting in the May 10 elections, taking the percentage to 84.74%, the highest ever since the segment was carved out of Chamundeshwari, T Narasipura and Nanjangud in 2008. The massive voter turnout is attributed to the electoral battle between opposition leader Siddaramaiah, a Kuruba, and BJP minister V Somanna, a Lingayat strongman.