NewsX Exclusive: Karnataka elections shadowed by hung assembly woes as close contest ensues

Soon after the Karnataka election voting came to an end on Wednesday, exit poll data from several surveys came out with majority of them giving a minor edge to the Congress party. While several polls showed a close contest between Congress and BJP, the overall narrative was unclear due to the premonition of a hung assembly.

After Congress and BJP, the exit polls showed HD Kumaraswamy led Janata Dal (Secular) gaining a third spot in the overall vote share thus making them a kingmaker. Meanwhile, both Congress and BJP have made counter-claims, suggesting a clear win for their parties despite exit poll data showing no clear mandate for either of the two parties.

Record voting turnout in Karnataka elections

The state of Karnataka has witnessed a record 72% voter turnout with rural regions showing an increased interest to cast their votes. Political analysts and observers have suggested that the BJP’s low showing in the exit polls is mostly due to strong anti-incumbency, high levels of corruption, and internal strife within the party.

In 2018 Karnataka elections, BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, closely tailed by Congress with 80 seats while JDS captured 37 seats. The counting of votes for Karnataka elections is supposed to take place on 13 May.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai refuted the results of the exit polls and claimed that they were inaccurate the previous time since they predicted “only 80 seats for BJP & 107 for Congress,” but the final outcome was in the BJP’s favor. He continued by expressing confidence in his party’s ability to win a “comfortable majority.”

DK Shivakumar, the president of the Karnataka Congress, also responded to the results of the exit polls by proclaiming a significant victory for his party. He asserted that Congress will easily surpass 146 seats and that he does not “believe” the results of the exit polls. DK Shivkumar also said that Congress would not require any agreement with other parties to establish the government. With the continuous claims and denials in the tumultuous Karnataka elections.