New Delhi: As voting ended in Karnataka on May 10, Wednesday, with a voter percentage of almost 66%, most exit polls see the Congress party emerging as the single-largest party ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
While the the Janata Dal (Secular)’s tally is predicted to slump, it could tip the balance if a hung verdict is delivered.
For a clear majority in the 224-seat house, a party must get at least 113 seats. Five years ago, the southern state delivered a hung verdict.
Six polls put Congress ahead
The India ‘Today-Axis My India’ exit poll predicted that the Congress will go past the simple-majority mark, getting 122-140 seats. The BJP will get 62-80 seats and the JD(S) 20-25, the poll said.
The ‘India TV-CNX’ exit poll also predicted that the Congress tally to be around the majority mark, getting between 110-120 seats. The BJP’s tally is predicted to be 80-90 seats, followed by 20-24.
The ‘News 24-Today’s Chanakya’ also puts the Congress in power, predicting it will win 120 seats. The BJP may get 92 seats and the JD(S) just 12, it says.
The ‘Times Now-ETG Research’ exit polls gives BJP 85 seats, Congress 113 and JD(S), 23.
The ‘Zee News Matrize’ poll has BJP between 79-94, Congress between 103 and 118 and JD(S) with 25 to 33 seats.
‘TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat’s’ research places BJP with 88 to 98 seats, Congress with 99 to 109 and JD(S) with 21 to 26.
Two polls put BJP in pole position
The ‘News Nation-CGS’ exit poll has the BJP just inching past the majority mark, bagging 114 seats. It says the Congress will win 86 and the JD(S)’s tally to be 21.
The ‘Asianet Suvarna-Jan Ki Baat’ exit poll has given BJP between 94 to 117 seats and Congress, 91 to 106 seats. JD(S) is projected to get us 14 to 24 seats.
Two predict hung verdict
The ‘ABP News-C Voter’ exit poll has predicted that the BJP will win 83 to 95 seats, the Congress will win 100-112 and the JD(S) will get 21 to 29 seats.
A ‘P-Marq-Republic’ poll projects BJP will win 85 to 100 seats, Congress will win 94 to 108 and JD(S) will win 24 to 32.
The poll of polls has Congress with 103 seats and BJP with 94. The JD(S), with around 25 MLAs, could play kingmaker once again. The results for the elections will be announced on May 13.
While Ramanagara constituency recorded the highest turnout of 78.22%, the lowest was from southern Bengaluru, which saw 48.63%.
Violence was reported in some areas in Vijayapura and Ballari districts.
In the 2018 Karnataka assembly election, the BJP was the single-largest party. But its tally of 104 seats fell nine short of the halfway mark. A Congress -JD(S) coalition led by H.D. Kumaraswamy was in power for just over a year, until July 2019, when nearly 20 MLAs from the parties defected to the BJP. The saffron party came to power, first under B.S. Yediyurappa and then Basavaraj Bommai.