India’s main opposition Congress party was leading with 124 seats, against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was staggering along with 69 seats in the 224-member state assembly, according to early trends reported by Indian media.
Regional political grouping Janata Dal (Secular) had secured 24 seats.
To secure a majority in the 224-member state legislature, a party needs to win 113.
The counting of votes, which began at 8:00 (IST) (2:30 GMT), is taking place across 36 centres in the state.
Karnataka, the biggest state in the south of India, recorded a voting turnout of 73.19 percent, higher than the state election held in 2018.
The BJP is the incumbent party in the state, and the Congress is the main opposition.
Most of the exit polls after the voting on 10 May suggested that the state was headed towards a hung assembly, which means that neither the Congress nor the BJP would manage to reach an outright majority.
In such a scenario, the role of JD(S) would be that of kingmaker. Previously, the JD(S) has been a coalition partner of the Congress party.
Congress, BJP Both Confident of Victory
Both Congress and the BJP have expressed confidence that they would form the new government in the state.
The state's present Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told the media that he was “confident” of a BJP victory.
Former state chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is also one of the top contenders for the CM’s chair in the event of a Congress victory, said that his party would easily win more than 120 seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned extensively in the state in the run-up to the voting this week.