From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI; Most of the exit polls predict hung assembly in Karnataka, but the Congress is in the lead and it can form the coalition government if alliance with the Janata Dal(S) materialises. A party or a combination requires over 113 seats as half of the majority in the Assembly to come to power.
The real result will be known on Saturday when the official counting of the votes takes place.
JD(s) trails third in the polling held on Wednesday but it has numbers to easily put the Congress in power, defeating the ruling BJP. Navbharat predicts the Congress win with 106 to 120 seats as against BJP’s 78 to 92 and JD(S) 20 to 26.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy is thus sitting as a kingmaker to help the Congress win.
Bharatvansh pollster also predicts hung House with an edge to Congress, which is predicted 99 to 109 seats to the Congress as against 88-98 to BJP and 21-26 to JD(S).
P-marq-Republic survey also says hung Assembly, with Congress winning 94 to 108 seats, as against BJP’s 88-98 seats and JD(S) 14-32.
ZEE Martrize also predicts that the Congress may cross the majority mark with 114 seats. It gives the Congress 103-118 seat, as against BJP 79-94 and JD(S) 14-24.
Karnataka has a 38-year long jinx that no political party has won a successive mandate in the state since 1985.
65.69% voter turnout recorded till 5 PM as against the all-time high of 72% recorded in the last state elections in 2018. A higher voter turnout is generally considered a vote against the incumbent government, indicating an anti-incumbency.
