Mandate 2023: Parties jittery over hung Assembly scenario

Notwithstanding exit polls giving Congress the edge and predicting a setback for the BJP, both parties are jittery over the final outcome on May 13 even as the possibility of a hung Assembly cannot be ruled out.

A senior leader in BJP told DH that the party’s tally has surely gone up largely due to efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but there are fears that rebels could play spoilsport.

“The party leaders had been fighting hard to douse the rebellion. But a section of rebels have succeeded in outmanouvring the party and its official candidates in many places. Hence, the party is likely to be impacted in 15-20 seats,” the leader explained.

According to provisional figures, Karnataka registered a voter turnout of 72.13 per cent. The Congress and BJP are figuring out what this figure means.

Hoping a high turnout in rural areas will help Congress overtake the BJP, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala expressed optimism. “The turnout is particularly high in rural areas and in seats of BJP ministers, further indicating that the BJP is headed for a disastrous performance,” he claimed.

Read | Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Exit polls show it’s advantage Congress

BJP Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya exuded confidence that youngsters from the US, Canada, Germany and other places coming to the state to exercise their franchise was a clear indication of vote for development. “In my visits to booths in Bengaluru, I saw several first time voters, senior citizens and many citizens who came from abroad to cast votes,” he said.

Some in BJP feel that fielding 75 fresh faces helped party beat anti-incumbency to a certain degree and succeeded in retaining core voters. “The coastal and central regions are prime examples of this. The Jai Bajrang Bali war cry helped retain our hold on core voter base, of youngsters aged 18-30 years. A large part of this group admires Modi,” the BJP source said.

Political analyst Chambi Puranik told DH that overall poll percentage indicates that the electorate has developed “aversion” towards freebies announced by all three parties, while rejecting poll planks deployed by BJP and Congress.

“It appears the electorate has voted in favour of winnable candidates in their constituencies,” Puranik said. “As a result, I strongly feel that the election will again throw up hung
verdict.”