Bharatiya Janata Party topped the seat count in Karnataka again, short of a majority.

It won 110 of the 224 seats.

The 113-seat mark for a majority stayed out of reach, leaving the result hung — a result where no single party wins enough seats to govern alone.

Indian National Congress followed with 80 seats.

It actually out-polled BJP in vote share, 34.8% to 33.9%, but converted fewer of those votes into seats.

The JD(S)-BJP coalition that had run Karnataka collapsed in October 2007 when HD Kumaraswamy refused to hand over the chief ministership as agreed. A second attempt in November, with BS Yeddyurappa sworn in as Chief Minister, also fell apart within days, and the state went under President's Rule.¹²³

The BJP fielded BS Yeddyurappa, the Congress fielded Mallikarjun Kharge, and the JD(S) fielded HD Kumaraswamy as their campaign leaders. The BJP attacked the UPA government's record on inflation and terrorism, while the Congress promised to control prices, upgrade infrastructure and provide a stable government.⁴⁵

The Election Commission set a three-phase schedule, voting on 10, 16 and 22 May, with counting fixed for 25 May.⁶

At Shikaripura, former Chief Minister S Bangarappa, who had left the BJP for the Samajwadi Party, challenged BS Yeddyurappa for his own seat and lost.⁷

With independent legislators' support, Yeddyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister on 30 May 2008, forming the BJP's first government anywhere in south India.⁸

This was Karnataka's first election held on freshly redrawn constituency boundaries.

The boundaries had just gone through delimitation — the official redrawing of constituency boundaries, which happens every so often as India's population shifts.

BJP grew to 110 seats this time, up from 79 at the previous election.

That made 2 elections running as the state's largest party.

Independents also picked up 6 seats.

Nowhere was the finish closer than at Kumta, Karnataka, decided by 20 votes.

At Shikaripura, former Chief Minister S Bangarappa challenged BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa and lost, polling 37,564 votes to Yeddyurappa's 83,491.⁷

Davanagere North, Karnataka was the most lopsided contest, won by 51.3% of the vote.

Turnout — the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot — ranged from a low of 35.4% at Sarvagnanagar, Karnataka to a high of 89.4% at Hosakote, Karnataka.

Bangalore South, Karnataka was the state's largest constituency, with 3,79,873 names on the rolls.

Bellary City, Karnataka drew the most crowded ballot, 31 candidates in all.

The rival factions in the 2008 contest traced back to a 1999 split in the Janata Dal, when one group aligned with BJP and the other, led by HD Deve Gowda and Siddaramaiah, formed the Janata Dal (Secular).⁹

HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal (Secular) had agreed to hand the chief ministership to BJP under their coalition pact, but he refused to transfer power and resigned on 8 October 2007, ending it.¹

Karnataka came under President's Rule two days later, on 10 October 2007, setting up the fresh election held the following May.³

BS Yeddyurappa briefly became Chief Minister that November under a renewed coalition deal, then resigned within days.²