Exit polls after the Karnataka Assembly elections have thrown up the possibility of a Congress victory with the BJP paying for its error in slighting the Lingayats. Of the nine exit polls out, seven put the Congress ahead and the other two putting the BJP ahead. The halfway mark in the 224-member Assembly is 113 seats. The votes will be counted on May 13, Saturday.

The biggest numbers for the Congress were in the India Today-Axis My India exit poll which gave the Mallikarjun Kharge-led party 122 to 140 seats, the BJP at 62-80, the JD(S) at 20-25.  

Zee News-Matrize put the Congress ahead at 103-118, the BJP and 79-94 and the JD(S) at 25-33. India TV-CNX also had a rosier picture for the Congress: 110-120, the BJP at 80-90 and the JD(S) at 20-24.

The ABP News’ CVoter exit poll gave the Congress 100 to 112 seats, the BJP 83-95 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) 21-29 seats.

The Times Now-ETG exit poll showed the Congress at 113, the BJP at 85 and the JD(S) at 23.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat exit poll had the Congress at 99-109, the BJP at 88-98, the JD(S) at 21-26.

The Republic TV-P Marq exit poll indicated a hung house with the Congress netting 94 to 108 seats and the BJP getting between 85 and 100 seats and the JD(S) getting 24 to 32 seats.

Among the exit polls which predicted a BJP victory were NewsNation and Kannada news TV channel Suvarna News.  NewsNation and CGS exit poll had the BJP ahead at 114 seats, just beyond the halfway mark. The Congress was expected to win 86 seats and the JD(S) 21 seats. Kannada TV channel Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat exit poll put the BJP at 94-117, the Congress at 91-106, the JD(S) at 14-24.

Voters exercised their franchise across Karnataka on a sun-baked Wednesday even though the met department had predicted rainfall after heavy rains in Bengaluru ahead of election day.

The polling percentage was 65.69 per cent till 5 pm, the final figures are awaited. The 2018 polls saw the turnout short of 75 per cent. BJP campaign committee chief BS Yediyurappa had estimated a turnout of 75-80 percent when speaking to reporters after voting in Shikaripura this morning.

Cyclone Mocha is expected to make landfall in West Bengal on Friday, May 12, with wind speeds not less than 130 kmph, a Met department advisory has warned.

The cyclone is currently forming in the Bay of Bengal and has a high likelihood of damaging houses, businesses and people. The advisory said Cyclone Mocha will also hit the coast of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Though Bengal is on its way, the associated effects of the cyclone are likely to be felt over India in the form of thundershowers and squalls.

In May 2020, West Bengal suffered the depredations caused by Cyclone Amphan, which saw wind speeds as high as 260 kmph. Neighbouring Odisha had also been hit by extremely heavy rainfall. Bengal had also been hit by a powerful cyclone in 1970. Named Bhola, the cyclone killed some 3 lakh people in neighbouring Bangladesh, which was then known as East Pakistan.

As many would know the word Mocha is linked to coffee, the Cyclone is named after the Yemeni port city which introduced coffee to the world 500 years ago. The cyclone named after the coffee is likely to impact tea drinkers since it is expected to hit Darjeeling, the town known for its tea.

Read Also: Wrestlers protest: Olympian Sakshi Malik challenges Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to undergo lie detector test

The Met advisory says Cyclone Mocha can bring some relief to Jharkhand and Bihar in view of the low-pressure trough developing over the state as a result of the extremely high temperature there. Heavy rains are expected in the two states along with Bengal.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands will see high waves under the influence of the phenomenon. The Met has advised foreign nationals and local people including fishermen to stay away from the sea until the cyclone passes.

Cyclone Mocha will gather strength today and tomorrow (May 10 and 11) by creating pressure in the Bay of Bengal which will result in a storm with moderate intensity on May 12, when it will be at its full strength.

Samajwadi Party MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh beats up local BJP leader’s husband in UP police station | WATCH

Congress garlands LPG cylinder, worships it in Karnataka amid ongoing voting for Assembly election | WATCH

Amid a notice issued by a Delhi court asking the police to file a status report of the complaint against Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh, star grappler and Olympian Sakshi Malik on Wednesday challenged the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief to take a lie-detector test if he’s confident of his innocence.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who is also a BJP leader has been accused of sexual harassment by seven women wrestlers, including an underage grappler.

Talking to reporters at a presser held at Jantar Mantar in national capital New Delhi, Sakshi Malik, an Olympic medalist, challenged the WFI president to take a Narco (lie-detector) test, adding that they (wrestlers) are willing to do the same and it will be established who among the two parties is telling the truth and who the real culprit is.

Another star wrestler and Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia said that they want all wrestling all competitions to take place under the ad hoc panel of IOA, adding that they will oppose and boycott every competition if Brij Bhushan is involved at any level or manner.

Read Also: Wrestlers’ protest: Delhi court seeks status report on complaint against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

The protesting wrestlers said they will sport black armbands on Thursday to protest the “slow pace of investigation” against Singh.

What’s the case?

Indian wrestling stars, including household names such as Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and others are protesting at the Jantar Mantar in national capital New Delhi, demanding action against WFI president and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual abuse of female wrestlers.

The wrestlers, who have been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since April 23, have claimed that they had filed sexual harassment complaints against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Connaught Place Police Station but Delhi Police did not register an FIR.

The protesting grapplers have made it clear that their protest would not end until Brij Bhushan Singh is sacked and arrested while also demanding that the finding of the Oversight Committee be made public by the Sports Ministry.

Samajwadi Party MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh beats up local BJP leader’s husband in UP police station | WATCH

Congress garlands LPG cylinder, worships it in Karnataka amid ongoing voting for Assembly election | WATCH