BENGALURU: As Karnataka surpassed all voter turnout records since 1957 to touch 72.67 per cent, pundits said the trend indicates results similar to that in 2013 and 2018.
The 2013 Assembly polls saw a 71.83 per cent voter turnout, and Congress won 122 seats defeating BJP, while in 2018, BJP won 104 seats and emerged as the single-largest party. Going by the exit polls, there is a probability that Congress could emerge as the single-largest party.
BJP leaders have their eyebrows furrowed after only a 56.98 per cent voter turnout in Bengaluru Urban despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blitz of rallies. In the BBMP limits, the turnout stood at 52.88 per cent in the North, 55.39 per cent in Central and 52.80 in the South. However, in the rural areas, voter turnout is above 71 per cent and Chikkaballapura district recorded 85.83 per cent turnout.
It all depends on the anti-incumbency factor and high voter turnout which are likely to damage the ruling party’s prospects in general, said psephologist Prof. Sandeep Shastri.
“Seven to eight exit polls have predicted a majority for Congress, but none for BJP. Some indicated hung Assembly but Congress will top with BJP coming second. So, Congress is in an advantageous position. I believe that the people of Karnataka will give a decisive verdict and not a fractured one,” he said.
For BJP, it has always been the central leadership getting them the numbers, he told TNIE, adding that Modi’s charisma will prevent a total collapse and garner 65-80 seats for the party.