With the BJP falling 9 seats of the majority mark in the Karnataka election 2018, the Congress reached out to the JD(S) to keep the saffron party out of power.

The BJP and a combine of the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) separately staked claim to form a government in Karnataka after election results on Tuesday threw up a hung assembly, which means no party has a majority. The state’s Governor Vajubhai Vala will now decide which side to invite to form government.

Counting began at 8am on Tuesday morning and 11 hours later, the BJP was leading in or had won 103 seats, nine short of the majority mark of 112.

Though the congress scored more than 7 lakhs votes lead over saffron BJP party but they have to content with a tally of 78 seats and that of the JD(S) is 37 seats, together 115 seats.

Worried with the set back of not making it home In Delhi, the BJP’s highest decision making body, the parliamentary board, is meeting at the party headquaters to review the results.

Soon after became clear today that the BJP is the largest party the Congress offered a surprise what it called “unconditional support” to a JD(S) government, with its leader HD Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister. After a meeting with the Governor, Kumaraswamy said, “The governor has asked us to wait for two days,” claiming he had support of two independent MLAs too.

Minutes before Kumaraswamy walked into Bengaluru’s Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Vala this evening, BS Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, walked out.

Ahead of his meeting with the Governor the BJP leader said "his party will form the government 100%." He said "Karnataka’s voters have given a verdict for change" and accused the Congress of making “unholy attempts” to grab power by offering its support to JD (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy to be the chief minister.

Both the BJP and Congress have rushed top leaders to Karnataka. “We had a telephonic conversation with Deve Gowda ji and Kumaraswamy. They have accepted our offer. Hopefully, we will be together,” said senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Bengaluru.

In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah said their party’s victory in Karnataka sets the tone for the 2109 general elections.

“They said the BJP is a party of Hindi-speaking states. Are Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, the Northeastern states Hindi-speaking states? No, the BJP represents India and our proud diversity,” said Modi, referring to places where his party has won elections.

“In 2019, we will not only form the government under the leadership of Modi Ji but also form a New India in 2022,” said Shah.

The Karnataka election is seen as the first major battle that sets the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Up next this year are big contests in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Ahead of the results, Karnataka was the last big state where the Congress held power apart from Punjab. Prime Minister Narendra Modi taunted the party during a bitter campaign, predicting that the Congress would be reduced today to the PPP party Punjab, Puducherry and Parivar, the last a reference to the party’s first family the Gandhis.

The BJP worked hard in its bid to wrest back the state it lost to the Congress five years ago; Karnataka is the only southern state it has ever held power in but this fractures verdict make its dream hard in the days to come says political pundits.