Karnataka will vote on Sunday to elect its new government. For the first time, polling has been extended to 11 hours from 7 am to 6 pm, triggering hope of a larger turnout. Counting will be held on Wednesday.
Of the 224 constituencies, 223 will go to the polls as elections to the Periyapatna Assembly segment in Mysore district were postponed becasue of the BJP candidate’s death. Periyapatna will go to polls on May 28. Over 4.35 crore voters will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 2,940 candidates including 170 women.
Unlike in the 2008 elections, this time there are no favourites. The first round of surveys predicted favourable results for the Congress and a deep cut in the BJP’s kitty. But this prediction appears to have changed in the last 10 days with the BJP and the JD(S) catching up rapidly.
As a result, poll pundits are predicting a hung Assembly as in 2004 and 2008, with the Congress emerging as the single-largest party. On the ground too, there is no mood or a wave in favour of any party.
Sensing a chance for the Congress to return to power, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other central leaders campaigned actively in the state. The BJP also brought all its national leaders including L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to campaign.
The electoral battle became more interesting with new entrants — the KJP of B S Yeddyurappa and BSR Congress of Sriramulu (both breakaway groups of the BJP) — making some noise notwithstanding their limited presence.
