The biggest loser in the Karnataka elections is not the Congress, but the JDS. The party is now left out in the cold.

Deve Gowda and his sons have won just 28 of the 224 seats. The big worry for them tonight is how to stop the party from splitting.

"Congress and BJP have called my party untouchable, let us see what happens," said H D Kumaraswamy, leader, JDS.

Perhaps unwittingly describing what the JDS has been reduced to in Karnataka. HD Kumaraswamy had hoped his party would once again win enough seats to emerge kingmakers, but with the BJP winning 110 seats and achieving a clear majority, the role of the JDS is irrelevant.

Throughout the day, silence at party supremo HD Deve Gowda's residence and as numbers started coming in the silence continued.

Some small consolation Kumarswamy and Revanna retained their seats in Ramnagaram and Holenarsipura, while party president Mirajuddin Patel lost, bringing the total for the party to just 28.

Known to be superstitious, the first family of Karnataka politics will take time to re-group and come to terms with people's verdict.