Karnataka elections 2023: Opinion polls give Congress the edge in high-stakes battle

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at supporters during a roadshow in Bengaluru ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections.

The high voltage campaign for 224 seats to the Karnataka legislative assembly ends today. With the stakes being high in this election, the parties in contention - BJP, Congress and JD(S) - have made a strong pitch seeking to boost their prospects at the hustings.

May 13 results will important for the BJP, which saw PM Modi leading an intense campaign, as it looks to rewrite history in a state with strong anti-incumbency factor in play.

PM Modi held 20 rallies in the state, the same as in 2018, along with roadshows in Bengaluru. A victory in the urban centre has eluded the BJP in the last two polls.

The Modi factor works differently when the party is in power and when out of power in states. In 2018 despite the history of Karnataka favouring a new government and the Modi factor, BJP couldn't touch the majority mark.

An opinion poll conducted by India TV-CNX shows the Congress having the edge in the battle for Vidhana Soudha. The poll sees Congress bagging 105 seats and ruling BJP scoring close to 85 seats. The opinion poll projected Janata Dal Secular (S) emerging as a key player with 32 seats.

The ABP-C-Voter opinion poll for the Karnataka elections also puts Congress in lead despite the PM's intense road show in the last leg of the campaign. According to the ABP-C-Voter, the Congress will likely bag 110-122 seats. The number needed to form a simple majority government is 113.

Another survey by India Today-CVoter sees setback for the ruling BJP in the state. The opinion poll predicts that the BJP may only secure 74-86 seats, a drop of 24 seats from 2018. Eedina, a Kannada outlet, conducted a pre-poll survey that predicted majority for the Congress party with 32-140 seats, while the BJP securing 57-65 seats.

The main issues, according the poll, that may influence the voters are development, corruption, law and order, farmers’ welfare and unemployment.

Voting will take place tomorrow from 7 am to 6 pm.