Karnataka Exit Polls 2023 Results Highlights: Congress holds slight edge in tight race against BJP, say surveys; hung assembly possible

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The Congress holds a slight edge in a tight race against the BJP, the surveys predominantly showed. The possibility of a hung assemby has not been ruled out, as a bulk of the surveyshasnot shown any party clearly crossing the halfway majority mark of 113 seats. This will allow the JD(S) to emerge as the kingmaker, as it did in 2018. Will history repeat itself? The final answer will be known on May 13, when the Election Commission will declare the results.

"Congress party will get a comfortable majority...I will win comfortably in Varuna constituency," Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said, while speaking to ANI.

"My first reaction is that I don't believe these numbers (exit polls). I stand by my numbers that we will cross 146 seats. People are highly educated and are looking at larger interests because the double engine has failed in Karnataka. The situation will not arise (to form alliance with any party),"Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar said, while speaking to ANI.

Jagadish Shettar, a veteran BJP leader who switched to the Congress ahead of the polls, told news agency ANI that the"Congress will get a clear majority and form the government".

"According to exit polls, Congress is the single largest party. There is no question of coalition with any other party, especially JD(S)," he added.

While a majority of the exit polls predicted a hung assembly with an edge to the Congress, at least two of the major surveys - Axis My India and Today's Chanakya - have predicted a full majority for the grand old party. If the Congress wins, speculations are rife that the party would select either Siddharamaiah, the former CM, or DK Shivakumar, the incumbent Karnataka Congress unit president, as the next chief minister.

If the BJP remains in power, a possibiliy exists that incumbent CM Basavaraj Bommai would remain in office. However, the party had not projected a CM face ahead of the elections.

In case of a hung assembly, the role of JD(S) as a kingmaker cannot be ruled out. Following the 2018 polls, when no party had won a majority, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy was sworn-in as the CM after the party inked a post-poll pact with the Congress.

The Congress is expected to secure a vote share of 42 percent, the BJP 39 percent, the JD(S) 13 and others six percent, as per the Today's Chanakya survey.

Today's Chanakya has predicted a victory for the Congress in the elections, with the party expected to win 120 seats, which is seven above the majority mark of 113. The BJP is expected to win92 seats, the survey said, adding the JD(S) will be restricted to 12 constituencies.

The Congress is set to win 122-140 seats, which is higher than the halfway majority mark of 113, according to India Today-Axis My India survey. The BJP is expected to win 62-80 seats, and the JD(S) 20-25.

In terms of vote share, the Congress is expected to secure 43 percent of the votes, BJP 35 percent, JD(S) 16 percent and others 8 percent, as per the survey.

The Congress is winning 36 out of the 64 seats in Oly Mysore region, predicts the survey released by India Today-My Axis. The JD(S) is expected to bag 18 seats, and the BJP 6.

According to the India Today-Axis My India survey, the Congress is expected to win a majority of 28 out of the 50 assembly seats in Mumbai-Karnataka region. The BJP is predicted to win 21 constituencies in the region and the JD(S) one.

The News18 Poll of Polls, based on the aggregate of the major exit poll surveys, predicts a hung assembly. The Congress is expected to emerge as the single-largest party with 103 seats, followed by the BJP which is predicted to win 94 seats and the JD(S) 25.

The India TV-CNX survey has predicted 110-120 seats for the Congress, whereas, the BJP is expected to win 80-90 constituencies. The JD(S) will bag 20-24 constituencies, the exit poll added.