Exit Polls: No Clear Winner in Karnataka

New Delhi: Karnataka is poised for a hung assembly, with a slight advantage projected for the Congress in the assembly election 2023, according to initial exit poll results on Wednesday. These predictions also suggest that HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular (JDS) is likely to hold the key to forming the government. In the 224-seat assembly, the majority threshold is set at 113 seats. The exit polls provide insights into what can be expected on results day on May 13. The Bharatiya Janata Party, fueled by a robust campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to reclaim power, while the Congress seeks a strong resurgence before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The majority mark in the 224- seat assembly stands at 113 seats. Only three exit polls – Times-Now ETG, Zee News Matrize and India TV-CNX – have predicted the possibility of a Congress victory. Two others predicted an upper limit of 114 and 117 for the BJP.

News Nation-CGS has predicted that the state’s ruling BJP will cross the majority mark with 114 seats, the Congress will win 86 seats and the JD(S) 21. The Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat has also given an edge to the BJP, predicting it will emerge as the single largest party with anything between 94 and 117 seats. The Congress, it said, will get 91-106 seats and the JD(S) 14-24 seats. Five other exit polls are counting on the Congress emerging as the single largest  party, slightly ahead of the BJP in the race. Times Now-ETG is predicting the Congress will touch the majority mark — barely. It predicts the party will win 113 seats and the BJP will get 85. Twenty-three seats will go to the Janata Dal Secular, it has predicted.The Republic TV-P MARQ has predicted that the BJP will win 85-100 of the 224 assembly seats, the Congress will win 94- 108 and the JD(S) 24-32 seats.

The TV 9-Bharatvansh Polstrat predicted 88-98 seats for the BJP, 99-109 seats for the Congress and 21-26 seats for the JD(S). The Zee News Matrize haspredicted 79-94 seats for the BJP and 103-118 seats for the Congress and 25-33 seas for the JD(S).ABP News-C Voter are expecting the BJP to win 83- 95 seats and the Congress 100 to 112 seats. The JD(S) it expects will win between 21 and 29 seats. India TV-CNX is also giving the Congress an edge with 110 to 120 seats and 80 to 90 seas to the BJP. The JD(S), it predicted, will get 21 to 29 seats. Back in 2018, six national television channels and one regional channel conducted eight major exit polls. These predictions indicated that the BJP would secure the largest number of seats in the new assembly, with seven of them suggesting a hung assembly. The elections witnessed a fierce battle between the incumbent BJP, Congress, and JD(S). The Election Commission reported a voter turnout of 65.69 per cent recorded until 5 pm, signifying the high stakes involved. The triangular contest for Karnataka ended this evening. The counting of votes will be held on Saturday.

About Post Author