National Desk, 13 May: The 224 assembly seats in Karnataka that were up for election on May 10 are the centre of attention as voting began at 8 am on Saturday amid high security. There are 2,615 candidates are in the fray and the counting is taking place at 36 locations throughout the State.
“The counting of votes will start at 8.00 am across 36 designated centres in the southern state,” the Election Commission said before the counting. A clear picture of the result is likely to emerge by noon.
The fact that this Assembly election took place about a year before the general elections in 2024 gave it great significance. The Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD (S) engaged in a combative electoral campaign.
What you need to know before the counting aside from the magic number of 113 seats out of 224 Assembly seats, is listed below. On Wednesday night, voting for the Karnataka assembly elections of 2023 came to an end.
The Election Commission (EC) reports that Karnataka had its highest-ever voter turnout in the southern state in May 10’s assembly elections with a 73.19 percent turnout.
Elections were held in 58,545 polling places to choose the 224 assembly members for Karnataka. The majority mark needed to form the government is 113.
Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai exuded confidence in Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) return to power in Karnataka. “There is no chance of a hung Assembly, we are going to form the government comfortably. Let him (DK Shivakumar) be happy with his 141 seats till tomorrow. We will have a legislature party meeting to decide the Chief Ministerial face,” Chief Minister Bommai stated.
On Friday, M. Basavaraj Bommai met with important state Bhartiya Janata Party officials. The gathering took place in Bengaluru at the home of the former chief minister of Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa.
DK Shivakumar, the head of the Karnataka Congress also had a meeting with Mallikarjun Kharge, the party’s president at Kharge’s mansion in Bengaluru where they discussed the party’s strategy once the results are announced.
“Exit polls have their own theory. We do not go by those samples, my sample size is too high and in that, we will have a comfortable majority. I do not know about JDS, let them take their own call. I do not have any backup plan, my only plan is that the Congress party will come to power,” Shivakumar told ANI.
Congress general secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said that BJP’s defeat in Karnataka will open Delhi’s door for Congress in 2024. ‘Congress’ victory in Karnataka is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s defeat because no one campaigned in Karnataka except him.
“After (BJP’s) Karnataka’s defeat, Delhi’s door is open for Congress in 2024. During the Bharat Jodo Yatra we were there for 27 days in Karnataka and visited seven districts. We do not have any doubt. We will get majority votes. We have promised five guarantees in our manifesto and because of these guarantees Congress is guaranteed to win,” said Jairam Ramesh.
He also ruled out the possibility of a coalition government in Karnataka with the JDS. “I am absolutely sure that JDS will disintegrate… This time I do not think that there is any scope for a coalition government with JDS,” added the Congress veteran.
The Janata Dal (Secular) national spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed on Friday said that they have already decided which party they would support in forming the government after the results are declared.
Speaking to ANI, Ahmed said, “We have already decided with whom we are going to form the government. We will announce it to the public when the appropriate time comes.”
On Thursday, BS Yediyurappa a former chief minister of Karnataka expressed optimism that the Bharatiya Janata Party would win an absolute majority and take office once more in the southern state.
Speaking to ANI, Yediyurappa said, “I am 100 per cent confident that the BJP will secure an absolute majority and form the government. His response came after exit polls predicted Congress’s edge over the BJP in Karnataka polls. The BJP leader refuted any possibility of a hung assembly.”
Even though exit polls indicate that the BJP is ahead of the Congress in the Karnataka Assembly elections, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai predicted that the BJP will win with a “comfortable majority” because of the party’s positive ground reports.
“All the exit polls predicted that Yogi Adityanath will not come back but he came back in Uttar Pradesh. Last time, they (exit polls) predicted only 80 seats for BJP and 107 for Congress but it came reverse… We are confident with our ground reports and we will come with a comfortable majority,” Bommai told ANI on Thursday.
On a question about forming an alliance with JD(S) in case the party falls short of a majority, he said, “At that time, National leadership is going to take a decision. The question does not arise. I am certain that the party will get 115-117 seats”.
Four exit polls that gave the party a full majority and some predictions of a hung parliament with a benefit to the party indicated that Congress would have a clear advantage in the assembly elections held on Wednesday in Karnataka.
A few exit polls indicated that the BJP was leading and would probably form the government.
The exit polls which were issued after the voting in Karnataka was completed indicated that the Janata Dal-Secular JD(S) would maintain its regional dominance in the state but would not lose any of the 37 seats it won in the 2018 elections. If Karnataka produces a hung assembly, the JD-S may end up being the deciding factor.
Congress is likely to gain a strong majority with 122-140 seats, followed by the BJP with 62-80, JD(S) with 20-25 and others with 0-3 seats.
A party requires 113 members in the 224-member Karnataka assembly to have a majority.
According to the poll of polls, the Congress is expected to win 109 seats followed by the BJP with 91 and JD-S with 23.
It is predicted that the BJP will win 92 seats, the Congress 120 seats and the JD-S 12 seats. The BJP made every effort to increase its support base as prominent leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were out on the campaign trail.
In addition to six roadshows, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at 19 public gatherings. 16 public rallies and 14 roadshows were held by Amit Shah. 10 public meetings and 16 roadshows were held by BJP leader JP Nadda.
BJP allowed Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to campaign fully, while Congress put its chief ministers, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in the spotlight. This was part of the frenzied electioneering by leaders of various political parties.
On the other hand, the Congress put in a lot of effort to seize control from the BJP which is trying to end the 38-year pattern of alternating governments and keep its hold on the state.
The BJP won 104 seats in the 2018 assembly elections making it the single-largest party. The (JDS) received 37 members and Congress won 80 seats. Both the Karnataka Pragyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were able to secure one seat apiece. A third member was independent.