After giving the BJP its first chance to rule the state, Karnataka voted on May 5th to decide whether the BJP should stay or go. 71% of Karnataka showed up to vote and the counting of votes begins tomorrow (May 8th). A clear verdict is hoped for. There is a wild speculation that the Congress might come to power in the state. Karnataka has had a coalition government in the past and people have not been happy with it and hope for a stable government this time around.
Current Karnataka Chief Minister, Jagadish Shettar from the BJP is confident that his party will win these elections. The Janata Dal Secular, another major political force in the state is also confident of winning the polls.
The Congress has been particularly jubilant after the polls and are predicting their victory. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Dr G Parameshwara says that according to an internal survey done by the party, the chances of them winning are rather high. Parameshwara also said that people of the state want a stable government, which a coalition in the past was unable to provide. Dr. Parameshwara has also displayed interest in being the next chief minister of the state, if the Congress were to win.
Voting for the Karnataka Assembly Elections was held for 223 seats to the Karnataka Assembly and the state got an extremely good voter turnout, given the excruciating weather.
Speculations are putting the Congress tally at somewhere between 110-132 of the 223 member house; with the BJP featuring nowhere close. Now the question which arises is, will the Congress fall short of crucial numbers? In that case, the Karnataka Janatha Paksha (KJP) has said that they are ready to support the Congress. The Congress, on the other hand, don’t seem willing to accept the help of the KJP and are hopeful of being able to form an independent government. The chances of the KJP bagging a substantial number of seats seems rather slim.
Also trying to sound upbeat about the upcoming vote counting are the BJP and the Janata Dal Secular.
Who will form the next government in Karnataka? Even though the scales are tipping in favour of the Congress at this point, you can never really tell until the last vote has been counted.
For latest updates on Karnataka Elections, you may refer to the following:
Karnataka Election Results 2013
