Exit polls predict tight race
POLL TREND Ramanagaram saw highest turnout at 80%; Bangalore urban registers 50%
BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: As voting ended in Karnataka on Saturday, a range of exit polls indicated that the election could throw up a hung assembly, with only a narrow margin separating the incumbent Congress and the challenger BJP. A hung House could position the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD (S), the third political force in the state, as the potential kingmaker.
Two exit polls gave Congress the edge. India Today estimated that the Congress could win anywhere between 106 and 118 seats while placing the BJP tally at between 79 and 92 seats and that of the JD (S) at 22 to 30 seats. Times Now-VMR gave the Congress between 90 and 103 seats,the BJP between 80 and 93 seats, and JD(S) between 31 and 39 seats.
Three other polls said the BJP had the edge. The ABP News-C Voter poll estimated that BJP would win between 104 and 116 seats, Congress between 83 and 94, and JD(S) between 20 and 29 seats. NewsX-CNX gave the BJP between 102 and 110 seats, Congress 72-78 seats and JD(S) between 35 and 39 seats. Today’s Chanakya came up with a slightly wider range, placing the BJP tally at between 109 and 131 seats; It predicted that Congress would win between 62 and 84 seats and the JD(S) between 19 and 33 seats.
To be sure, exit polls in India have got it wrong, sometimes spectacularly, in multiple elections in the past .
›I’ve been saying this since I began touring the state. A hung assembly is not a possibility at all. We will get a clear majority.
SIDDARAMAIAH, Karnataka chief minister
BENGALURU: Voting in Karnataka came to a close on Saturday with the state recording 67% percent turnout in the polls, against 71.45% in the 2013 elections.
Ramanagaram district recorded the highest turnout at 80%, while in 2013, the Chikkaballapur district had recorded 83.5% turnout. Bangalore urban continued to be the worst performer in terms of turnout, recording only 50% voting percentage at 6 pm, while the figure for the 2013 polls was 57%.
Addressing a press conference, Sanjiv Kumar, chief electoral officer of Karnataka, said he was confident that the polling percentage would exceed 70 after demustering was completed.
“I'm confident that voting percentage will cross 70%,” he said. “There were some issues with the ballot units (BUs), control units (CU) and VVPATs. As many as 112 BUs, 340 CUs, and 698 VVPATs were changed after conducting mock polls,” he said.
Meanwhile, voting was cancelled in one polling booth in the Lottegollahalli area of Hebbal constituency in Bengaluru because of a glitch in the EVM. “While the EVM was functioning during mock poll, the ninth button got stuck after 63 votes were polled and kept printing the vote of that candidate. As a result, polling in that booth has been declared void and will be held afresh on May 14,” Kumar said.
While one woman attempted suicide at a polling booth by pouring kerosene over herself in Devagiri village in Haveri district, a man died of a heart attack at a polling station in Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district. A total of 381,606 polling officials, were deployed along with over 82,000 security personnel. “Total cash seizure was ₹92.18 crore, and the total worth of all property, including cash, seized was ₹152.39 crore,” Kumar said.
As many as 15 cases of paid news were identified during the polls, out of a total of 26 complaints. The Karnataka polls have gained significance as the incumbent Congress is trying to retain its last big state in the country, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to once again win the state, calling it a gateway to southern India. The Janata Dal (Secular) is hoping to be the kingmaker, in case of a hung assembly.
Speaking after the close of voting, chief minister Siddaramaiah said he was very confident of a complete majority. “I’ve been saying this since I began touring the state. A hung assembly is not a possibility at all. We will get a clear majority,” he said.
The chief minister reiterated that this was the end of his career in electoral politics. “But I’ll still be involved in politics. I will stand by those who supported me. I won’t run away,” he said. “I won't go to Centre or anywhere, I'll be in Siddaramanahundi,” he added, referring to his village.
The BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa thanked the people of the state. “Gratitude to the people of Karnataka for voting in large numbers today. @BJP4Karnataka is headed towards a landslide victory with all your blessings and support!” he tweeted.