Exit Polls 2023: Which Way Is Karnataka Going?

The polling for the Karnataka Assembly elections is concluded and the counting will take place on the 13th of this month. The Exit polls of various survey agencies indicate there is a chance of Hung assembly.

The magic figure is 113 seats. Congress will emerge as the single largest party but will fall short of the majority, they say. In such a case, JDS with 25-30 seats may prove crucial.

But then, there is a danger of the BJP poaching the MLAs of Congress if needed. We will see resort politics happening after the results in case of a hung.

In the 2018 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the largest party, securing victory in 104 seats. The Congress won 80 seats, and the JDS won 37 seats. As no party had a clear majority, there were dramatic developments during the government formation process.

BJP’s Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the CM but had to resign within three days. Subsequently, the Congress and JDS formed a coalition government, with H.D. Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister. However, this coalition government lasted for only 14 months. Afterward, several MLAs switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party, resulting in a change of fortunes.

With the support of 116 MLAs, the BJP formed the government. In the last 38 years, no single party in Karnataka remained in power for a consecutive second term. Despite attempts by various political parties to achieve this feat, the same cycle repeated. BJP will look to break that.

In the 2018 elections, the results of the majority exit polls matched exactly the final result.