Karnataka election results tomorrow: BJP, Congress sure of majority; JD(S) may emerge kingmaker, show exit polls
NEW DELHI: Stage is set for counting of votes tomorrow for the Karnataka Assembly elections with exit polls projecting Congress and BJP in a neck and neck fight.
The counting of votes for 222 Assembly seats would begin at 8 am in nearly 40 counting centres and trends are likely to begin to trickle within an hour.
The 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections have broken all record in terms of voting percentage. The state has recorded 72.13 per cent voter turnout, highest since the 1952 state polls, said Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar.
Notwithstanding exit polls, both BJP President Amit Shah and Congress leader Veerappa Moily rubbished the predictions claiming that their parties will get clear majority and form government in Karnataka.
Several exit polls have predicted a hung Assembly, and said former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S) would play the role of the kingmaker. However, Chanakya's exit poll stood out while giving a clear mandate to BJP.
In one of the most high-profile and expensive poll battle, 222 of the 224 seats went to polls on May 12.
Polling for R R Nagar seat was deferred on account of alleged electoral malpractices, while it was countermanded in Jayanagar seat following the death of the BJP candidate.
In case of a clear verdict in favour of the Congress, the grand old party will have broken the jinx of no political party retaining the reins of the state since 1985, when the erstwhile Janata Dal formed the government under Ramakrishna Hegde for a second consecutive term.
A victory in Karnataka would help boost the sagging morale of the Congress, which is on a downhill journey, losing state after state since Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre.
A victory for the BJP, on the other hand, will reflect the enduring charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his capacity to power his party to victory across the country, clearing demographic and topographical obstacles.
(With PTI inputs)
The counting of votes for 222 Assembly seats would begin at 8 am in nearly 40 counting centres and trends are likely to begin to trickle within an hour.
The 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections have broken all record in terms of voting percentage. The state has recorded 72.13 per cent voter turnout, highest since the 1952 state polls, said Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar.
Notwithstanding exit polls, both BJP President Amit Shah and Congress leader Veerappa Moily rubbished the predictions claiming that their parties will get clear majority and form government in Karnataka.
Several exit polls have predicted a hung Assembly, and said former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S) would play the role of the kingmaker. However, Chanakya's exit poll stood out while giving a clear mandate to BJP.
In one of the most high-profile and expensive poll battle, 222 of the 224 seats went to polls on May 12.
Polling for R R Nagar seat was deferred on account of alleged electoral malpractices, while it was countermanded in Jayanagar seat following the death of the BJP candidate.
In case of a clear verdict in favour of the Congress, the grand old party will have broken the jinx of no political party retaining the reins of the state since 1985, when the erstwhile Janata Dal formed the government under Ramakrishna Hegde for a second consecutive term.
A victory in Karnataka would help boost the sagging morale of the Congress, which is on a downhill journey, losing state after state since Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre.
A victory for the BJP, on the other hand, will reflect the enduring charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his capacity to power his party to victory across the country, clearing demographic and topographical obstacles.
(With PTI inputs)