Most of the Karnataka exit polls results predicted a neck-and-neck fight between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the JD(S) bagging the third spot in the recently held Karnataka elections 2023. The exit polls suggest that the Congress will either cross the half-way mark or be very close to it. Meanwhile, speculations are rife if the JD(S) will emerge as the "kingmaker" again in this year's election.

The India Today-Axis My India and Today's Chanakya exit polls predicted a clear win for the Congress, while Jan ki Baat exit poll predicted 91-105 seats for the Congress, 94 to 117 seats for the BJP and 14-24 seats for the HD Kumaraswamy-led JDS. A political party needs 113 of 224 seats to cross the majority mark in the Karnataka election 2023.

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Here's a look what other exit polls predicted

What the current Karnataka Assembly looks like?

The Karnataka elections 2023 is likely to see a tight contest between the BJP and the Congress, with many speculating JD(S)'s role as the kingmaker. The voting for the Karnataka election 2023 took place on Wednesday May 10, with over 65 percent voter turnout. A total of 5.31 crore electors were eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

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In the outgoing Karnataka Assembly, the BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress at 69, JD(S) at 29, BSP one, two Independents, Speaker one and vacant six (following deaths and resignation to join other parties ahead of polls).

What happened in 2018 Karnataka elections?

Karnataka witnessed a record voter turnout of 72.36 percent in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls.

In the 2018 elections, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by Congress with 80 seats and JD(S) with 37 seats. There was also one independent member, while the BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) got one legislator each elected.

With no party getting a clear majority at the time and as Congress and JD(S) were trying to forge an alliance, BJP leader BS Yediyurappa staked a claim and formed the government. However, the government was dissolved within three days, ahead of a trust vote, as Yediyurappa was unable to muster the numbers.

Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with HD Kumaraswamy as Karnataka Chief Minister. However, the coalition government collapsed in 14 months after 17 legislators resigned. They defected to the BJP and facilitated the party's return to power. In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

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First Published:May 10, 2023 6:55 PM IST