K'taka Bypoll Result: Deve Gowda visits Saibaba temple

Former prime minister and JD (S) chief H D Deve Gowda on Sunday visited Saibaba temple in Shirdi in Maharashtra on the eve of the results of the crucial Karnataka assembly bypolls.

Counting of votes in the byelections to 15 assembly constituencies will be taken up on Monday, which could decide fate of the four-month-old B S Yedyurappa-led BJP government in the southern state.

"For me, Ram and Raheem are the same. I prayed to Saibaba for the betterment and development of the country," Deve Gowda told reporters in Shirdi in Ahmednagar district.

The bypolls were held to fill the vacancies caused by the disqualification of 17 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs, whose revolt led to collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in July this year and paved the way for BJP to come to power.

Twelve of the 15 seats were held by the Congress and three by JD(S).