2013 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election
The 2013 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election was held on 5 May 2013 to elect members from 223 constituencies in the Indian state of Karnataka. The election for the Piriyapatna constituency was postponed to 28 May 2013 due to the death of the BJP candidate for the seat. The voter turnout in the state was 70.23%. Five major political parties contested the election: Indian National Congress (INC) led by Siddaramaiah, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) led by H. D. Kumaraswamy, B. S. Yediyurappa's Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) and B. Sriramulu's Badavara Shramikara Raitara Congress (BSRCP). The INC won the election with an absolute majority of 122 seats, including the Piriyapatna seat, 9 more than the majority mark of 113. As a result, the INC returned to power on its own after nine years with Siddaramaiah becoming the Chief Minister. Background In 2008, the BJP under the leadership of B. S. Yeddyurappa, won 110 seats, emerging as the single largest party. As the party did not have a majority of its own, having not won 113+ seats, it had to form a government with the support of a few independent MLA's. The BJP