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By India Today News Desk: The Congress is set to return to power in Karnataka with a clear majority, bagging 122-140 seats in the state, according to India Today-Axis My India exit poll.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which ran a high-voltage campaign in the southern state, is likely to finish second with 62-80 seats, the survey showed.
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) is projected to finish a distant third and garner 20-25 seats. Other parties are likely to get 0-3 seats.
The Karnataka Assembly has 224 seats. A party or an alliance needs to achieve the magic number of 113 to form the government.
OLD MYSURU REGION
The Congress is set to sweep the Old Mysuru region, winning 36 of 64 seats, the exit poll said. The JD(S) is projected to finish second with 18 seats. The BJP is predicted to emerge victorious in six seats while other parties are likely to win four seats.
In terms of vote share, Congress is projected to receive 40% of the votes in the region, while the JD(S) is likely to get 28% vote share. The BJP is forecast to have 25% vote share while other parties are likely to get 7% of votes, the survey said.
COASTAL KARNATAKA REGION
The BJP is expected to dominate Coastal Karnataka, securing victory in 16 of 19 seats in the region, as per the exit poll. The Congress is likely to win three seats while the JD(S) may not open its account.
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The projected vote share for BJP is 50% while the Congress is likely to garner 40% of the votes. The JD(S) is predicted to get a 6% vote share while other parties are likely to receive 4% of the votes.
HYDERABAD-KARNATAKA REGION
The Congress is likely to sweep the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, bagging 32 of 40 seats, the exit poll said. The BJP is projected to win seven seats, while the JD(S) is estimated to win one seat in the region.
The survey has predicted that the Congress is set to get a whopping 47% vote share. The BJP is likely to receive 36% of the votes and JD(S) 13%. Others are likely get a 4% vote share, according to the survey.
MUMBAI-KARNATAKA REGION
The Congress is likely to emerge victorious in 28 out of 50 seats in the Mumbai-Karnataka region, the survey said. The BJP is expected to win 21 out of 50 seats in the region and the JD(S) may bag only one seat.
The Congress is expected to get a projected vote share of 45% while the BJP is likely to get 42%. The JD(S) may get 8% of the vote share in the region and other parties are predicted to get 5% of the votes.
BENGALURU REGION
The Congress is set to win 17 of the 28 seats in the Bengaluru region, with the BJP in the second place with 10 seats and the JD(S) a distant third with just one, the survey forecasted.
According to the projected vote share, the Congress is predicted to bag 44% of the votes, while the BJP will get 40%. The JD(S)’s vote share is predicted to be 15% in the region.
CENTRAL KARNATAKA REGION
The Congress is set to win 12 out of 23 seats in Central Karnataka, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is projected to win 10 seats in a close fight, the survey said.
The Janata Dal-Secular (JD(S)) is predicted to win just one seat.
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In terms of vote share, the Congress is predicted to bag 41% votes, while the BJP is set to garner 35% vote share in Central Karnataka, the exit poll said. The JD(S) is projected to receive 17% vote share while other parties are likely to get 7% votes in the region.
NEARLY 66% VOTER TURNOUT
Polling was held for the 224-Karnataka Assembly at 7 am on Wednesday and concluded at 6 pm. The voter turnout was recorded at 65.69% till 5 pm. As many as 2,615 candidates were in the fray. Counting of votes will take place on May 13.
The southern state had recorded a voter turnout of 72.36% in the 2018 Assembly polls.
Ramanagara recorded the highest turnout of 63.36%, while the the lowest polling was seen in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South limits (parts of Bengaluru city) at 40.28%, election officials said.
Karnataka is largely witnessing a triangular contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and the JD(S).
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