Bangalore: CVoter exit poll predicts majority for Congress

Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, May 5: With voting for the crucial Karnataka Assembly, termed by some as the 'semi-final' to the 2014 general elections, getting over at 6 pm, the countdown now begins for the results on May 8.

Who will be the winner and who will bite the dust is the million dollar question on everybody's mind.

As per CVoter exit poll, Congress may garner a majority with 110-118 seats, and BJP is likely to get around 51-59 seats.

It may be recalled that earlier, CVoter had predicted a clear majority for Congress

The exit poll predicted 31-37 seats for JD(S), and 7-11 seats for others. KJP is expected to get around 7 percent of the seats, that is around 9-13 seats.

Compared to the 2008 elections, BJP, which had garnered 109 seats last time, will be less by 54 seats, while Congress, which had won 80 seats in 2008, will gain more than 30 seats this time. For JD(S), which had won 28 seats last time, will see a marginal gain.

Another exit poll was conducted by CNN-IBN. The channel, while giving the Congress victory, revised its estimates of its seat tally to get 100-116 seats following the change in the political scenario of the state in last two weeks. The earlier pre-poll survey, conducted along with The Week, in the second week of April had given the party 117-129 seats.

The poll attributed the drop to faulty choice of candidates leading to unhappiness within the party and open and subtle opposition to the official nominee, infighting between prominent party leaders of the Congress and absence of a well orchestrated and coordinated campaign, among other reasons.

The CNN-IBN exit poll gives the BJP 43-53, against the pre-poll survey's 39-49.

While all placed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the second place with the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) following, CNN-IBN forecast a possible tie between the two for the second spot.

The Karnataka Janata Party headed by BJP's first chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, was expected to get between 5 and 13 seats while the third major political force in the state, the JD-S was predicted to bag between 30 and 50 seats.

The BJP's projected debacle is in contrast to its 2008 victory when it had formed the first government in a south India. It would be paying the price for intense in-fighting with former chief minister Yeddyurappa, who led it to victory in 2008, leaving the party and contesting elections from his own Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).

The decision of the voters will be out on May 8, until then one can only wait and watch.