Karnataka polls: Punters tip Congress to secure victory

Supporters of parties and candidates are placing heavy bets by pledging cash, jewellery, smartphones, laptops, and pets as speculation over Saturday’s results reached a crescendo.
Footage of a man inviting bets over the result in Varuna, where opposition leader Siddaramaiah and BJP minister V Somanna are contesting, was widely shared. In the 52-second video, the man claims he is ready to bet a 3,395sqft-site, which he says has a market value of Rs 3,500 per sq foot. He wagered that Somanna would win by 25,000 votes.
In another case, a photo of bond paper titled ‘agreement of betting’ and signed by three people in HD Kote segment was widely shared. Two people bet Rs 5 lakh in favour of JD(S) candidate Jayaprakasha Chikkanna in the ST reserved segment. Another person is in favour of Congress candidate and MLA Anil Chikkamadu. Both sides deposited the bet money with a third party.
In Periyapatna a farmer was willing to pledgehis one acre and 37 guntas of plot (nearly Rs 2 crore) on five-time former MLA Venkatesh, now Congress candidate, winning.
There were several other such videos from across Karnataka.
Chandrappa, a farmer in Tarihal, said that one of his friends put a tractortrailer on Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni in Dharwad constituency. A farmer leader in Gadag district said farmers are betting hens, sheep, cows and buffaloes.
An activist in Bagalkot said a mango grower has risked the yield on BJP forming the government. “If BJP fails, he will give his crop to the buyer. If BJP forms government, he will get cash of Rs 50,000 from the buyer,” a man said.
Bookies, who opened odds on Tuesday, favour Congress. “You could double your bet if Congress gets 112-130 seats,” said a bookie. But the odds are also high for BJP. “If the saffron party gets 100 seats, you will get Rs 4,000 for Rs 1,000. If BJP gets 70-85 seats. The odds are 80/100,” said another bookie. If you bet on JD(S) winning 25-30 seats, you will get Rs 2,500 for Rs 1,000.