With exit polls giving Congress an edge over the BJP in the Karnataka Assembly elections, State Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has that the BJP will come to power with a “comfortable majority” as he is confident with he party’s their ground reports.
“All the exit polls predicted that Yogi Adityanath will not come back but he came back in Uttar Pradesh. Last time, they (exit polls) predicted only 80 seats for BJP and 107 for Congress but it came reverse… We are confident with our ground reports and we will come with a comfortable majority,” Bommai told ANI on Thursday.
According to most exit poll projections, the Congress will finish ahead of the BJP but chances of a hung Assembly are high.
The pollsters also tipped HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal-Secular to play kingmaker.
The party needs to win 113 seats to reach the majority mark in the 224-seat Karnataka Assembly.
On Wednesday too, in an exclusive conversation with ANI, Bommai pinned hope that the exit polls got it all wrong.
“Exit polls are, after all, exit polls and even most projections are predicting a close finish. However, from what I have been able to pick up from our ground sources, it is 100 per cent clear that we are going to return with an absolute majority. The real outcome will only be known on May 13. So, let’s wait for the result day,” Bommai said.
“Exit polls aren’t 100 per cent accurate. There will be a five per cent variation in all poll projections, plus and minus, which could make all the difference in the end,” he added.
Congress is expected to have a clear edge in Karnataka in the assembly elections held on Wednesday with four exit polls giving it a full majority and some predicting a hung assembly with an advantage to the party.
A few exit polls also said that BJP is ahead in the sweepstakes to form the government.
The exit polls, which were released after the polling ended in Karnataka, predicted that Janata Dal-Secular JD(S) would not touch the 37 seats it won in the 2018 polls but will continue to be a strong regional player in the state.
If Karnataka throws up a hung assembly, the JD-S could emerge in the role of kingmaker.
According to India Today-Axis My India exit poll, Congress is poised to win a comfortable majority with 122-140 seats, BJP will get 62-80 seats, JD(S) 20-25 and others 0-3 seats.
A party needs 113 seats for a majority in the 224-member Karnataka assembly.
The poll of polls shows an advantage for the Congress with the party poised to win 109 seats, BJP 91 seats and JD-S 23.
News24-Today’s Chanakya predicted Congress crossing the halfway mark. It said BJP is poised to win 92 seats, Congress, 120 and JD-S 12 seats.
Times Now-ETG poll and India TV-CNX poll also predicted Congress hitting the majority mark. Times Now-ETG said BJP is expected to win 85 seats, Congress 113, JD-S 23 and others three.
India TV-CNX poll gave 80-90 seats to BJP, 110-120 to Congress, JD-S 20-24 and 1-3 to others.
Republic P-MARQ has predicted that Congress would get a 40 per cent vote share, BJP 36 per cent, JD(S) 17 per cent and seven per cent for independents and others.
However, Congress’s Karnataka president DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said he did not believe in the exit poll results and added that they will cross the 146-seat mark.
Shivakumar, who is the Congress candidate from the Kanakapura constituency, said the poll outcome would decisively be in favour of his party and there will be no such situation, which might warrant them to consider post-poll alliances.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, the Congress MLA said, “My first reaction (to the exit-poll projections) is that I don’t believe these numbers. I stand by my assessment, that we will win more than 146 seats. People are knowledgeable and educated and have voted considering the larger interests of the state. The double engine has failed in Karnataka. Such a situation (which might prompt the Congress to go into a post-poll alliance) will not arise.” (ANI)
This report is filed by ANI news service.
