Karnataka Assembly elections: It's still tight race as per exit polls

New Delhi: Most exit polls predicted a tight race between the two main rivals — BJP and Congress — in the Karnataka Assembly elections with JD(S) emerging as a likely kingmaker.

Except Today’s Chanakya, all other exit polls indicated the possibility of a hung Assembly in the state.

As far as the ruling Congress was concerned, exit polls by India Today-Axis My India (106-118), India TV-VMR (97) and Suvarna TV (106-118) gave it an edge. For the BJP, they predicted 79-92, 87 and 79-92, respectively. For 222 seats where voting took place, 112 is the halfway mark in the Karnataka Assembly.

On the other hand, exit polls done by the NewsX-CNX, Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat and ABP News-CVoter said that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party. While Republic TV said BJP would get 104, ABP News-CVoter said it would get 101-113 seats and NewsX-CNX said it would get 102-110 seats. These channels gave the Congress 78, 82-94 and 72-78 seats, respectively.

The only exit poll which gave a clean majority to the BJP was Today’s Chanakya which predicted a near sweep by the party with 120 seats.

However, in almost all scenarios, the Janata Dal (Secular) emerges as a possible kingmaker. All polls predicted between 18-40 seats for the party which is fighting the polls in alliance with the BSP.

Times Now-VMR put the likely tally of the JD(S) at 28 while India Today put its figure at 22-30. The exit polls run by Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat and ABP-C Voter predicted JD(S) will get 37 and 18-31 seats.

The Congress has relentlessly attacked the JD(S) as being the BJP’s “B-Team”.