Hung House in Karnataka, but Congress has edge: pollster

Yet another opinion poll showed that Karnataka is heading for a hung Assembly with the ruling Congress emerging the single-largest party while the BJP falling behind it though its tally could double.

The ABP-CSDS survey published on Monday showed the Congress winning a minimum of 92 seats and a maximum of 102 seats while the BJP could settle between 79 and 89 seats in a House of 224 where the half-way mark is 113.

In such a scenario, the JD(S)-BSP combine, which is predicted to bag 32-42 seats, will emerge the kingmaker.

The survey could bring cheers to the Congress.

In a previous survey by the same group on April 23 had predicted it would slip to the second position with 85-91 seats behind the BJP which could get 89-95 seats. Times Now-VDS and India Today-Karvy surveys also had given the Congress an edge over the BJP in their opinion polls conducted in April.

In the 2013 polls, the Congress had won 122 seats while the BJP and the JD(S) won 40 seats each. According to the latest survey, the Congress will get 38% of votes followed by the BJP with 33% and the JD(S)-BSP 22%. Among farmers, the survey claimed, the Congress remained the favourite with 40% of the respondents saying they would vote for the Siddaramaiah-led party while 31% preferred the BJP.

Siddaramaiah also emerged the top choice for the chief ministerial post 33% favouring him followed by the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa with 27% support among the people surveyed. Deve Gowda’s son and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy was chosen by 22% respondents.

The Lingayat card played by the Congress appears to have not added much to the party’s votes if one goes by the opinion poll figures. Like in the previous survey, around 61% of the Lingayats are likely to vote for the BJP despite the Congress government’s recommendation for according Lingayats the status of a minority religion.