Bengaluru, Sept 3: Former Chief Minister and BJP's Karnataka unit chief BS Yeddyurappa conceded defeat in the urban local bodies polls, attributing it to the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state.

The BJP, which has won 929 seats, "performed below expectations", Yeddyurappa told reporters here. Notably, a total of a 2,664 civic body seats were up for grabs, with the Congress emerging the single-largest with 982 wins. The JD(S) of Chief Minister HD KUmaraswamy emerged a distant third, bagging 375 wards.

Yeddyurappa said the performance of the BJP would be "way better" in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections vis-a-vis how the party fared in the urban local bodies polls.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the state's electorate would back the Congress-JD(S) coalition in the parliamentary polls as they would not be contesting separately.

Since the ULB polls were based on local issues, Kharge added, the two parties decided not to forge a pre-poll alliance.

"Congress is not lagging behind. Neck-to-neck fight is there and if you combine secular votes, they are the most. These elections are based on minor issues and local candidates. These results don't hold much significance," Kharge told news agency ANI.

Earlier in the day, CM Kumaraswamy suspended all his official engagements till lunch as he was reportedly glued to the TV to remain updated on his party's performance in the civic elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2018 02:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).