Congress, BJP, JDS netas keep fingers crossed in Karnataka

BENGALURU: With the stage set for declaration of results of the Lok Sabha elections today, leaders of Congress, BJP and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) are keeping their fingers crossed.

While the ruling Congress went to the polls with its guarantees, BJP wooed voters with the achievements of the NDA government at the Centre under PM Modi. JDS aligned with the saffron party.

The results will reveal whether people of the state have voted differently when compared to last year’s Assembly polls. They will also reveal whether women, who constitute nearly 50% of the electorate, were swayed by Congress’ guarantees or Modi’s ‘charisma’.

For Congress, the stakes are high as its president Mallikarjun Kharge is from the state. Moreover, the ruling party has been at loggerheads with the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre on many issues. With Congress being the key player in I.N.D.I.A, it remains to be seen how many seats it will contribute to the bloc from Karnataka.

The Congress leadership in the state, however, is confident of winning 18-20 seats. But the exit poll prediction has dampened its spirits. DCM DK Shivakumar’s prediction almost came true in the last Assembly polls. He is not sure how many LS seats his party will win in the state.

He, however, predicted that Congress will win double-digit seats. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar rubbished Saturday’s exit poll prediction. The last time the Congress secured double-digit seats in Karnataka was in 1999 LS polls when it won 18.

It could win only one seat in the 2019 polls. This time, the kin of many ministers are in the fray. “If they fail to get their kin elected, they may lose their ministerial berths,” a source said. “I don’t think the Siddaramaiah government will face a threat if Congress fails to win more LS seats. It has a solid mandate of 136 seats in the legislative Assembly.

It may face some temporary hiccups,” political scientist Dr Sandeep Shastri said. Exit polls gave 20 seats to BJP-JDS alliance in the state. If this comes true, it will be a come back for the two parties, which faced a drubbing in the last Assembly elections.

“There will be no change in the state BJP leadership. The party will win more than 20 seats and the NDA will retain power at the Centre,” party spokesman M G Mahesh said. Former CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday expressed confidence that his party will win all three seats.