Karnataka polls: BJP, Congress reject exit polls, confident of winning majority

BENGALURU: A day after several exit polls forecast a hung assembly, both Congress and BJP rejected the predictions and claimed they will win enough seats to form a government in Karnataka without any alliance. The exit polls have predicted a hung assembly with most projecting Congress would emerge as the single largest party. The assembly election results will be announced on Saturday.
CM Basavaraj Bommai said BJP will win comfortably and gave examples of how exit polls are way off the mark sometimes. "In 2018, exit polls had predicted 107 seats for Congress and 78 for BJP; but the outcome was the opposite: BJP got 104 and Congress 78."
Union minister Shobha Karandlaje ruled out the need for an Operation Lotus (a shorthand for poaching of rival-party MLAs), saying BJP would get 120 to 125 seats and return to office under its own steam.
BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh said: "In 2018, BJP in Karnataka led in 24,000 booths with zero leads in 14 constituencies. This time, we are leading in 31,000 booths with all assembly constituencies contributing."
KPCC chief DK Shivakumar exuded confidence that the party will win 141 seats and form a government with full majority. His colleague and former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara predicted 120 seats for the party.
Sources claimed that both Congress and BJP have opened talks channel with second-rung leaders of JD(S) since HD Kumaraswamy is said to be abroad at the moment.