Karnataka Poll highlights: Sec 144 imposed in Bengaluru, liquor sale banned

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday claimed that the Janata Dal (Secular) will “disintegrate” after the Karnataka assembly election results on Saturday and said there was no scope for a coalition government with the HD Kumaraswamy's party.

Chief Minister Bommai told reporters on Friday, "there is no chance of a hung Assembly, we are going to form the government comfortably. Let him (DK Shivakumar) be happy with his 141 seats till tomorrow. We will have a legislature party meeting to decide the chief ministerial face."

Karnataka recorded its highest-ever voting (73.19 per cent) in Wednesday's polling to the 224-member Assembly. The results will be declared Saturday.

Both the BJP and the Congress on Friday held strategy sessions on ways to keep the flock together as Karnataka assembly election result is due tomorrow. They also considered reaching out to independent candidates who are likely to win, news agency PTI reported quoting sources.

Bengaluru police has clamped down restrictions on counting day to avoid untoward incidents. Section 144 will be imposed in the entire district from 6 am on Saturday to 12 am on Sunday, The New Indian Express reported. There will also be a ban on liquor sale in the Bengaluru police commissionerate region.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications said, “Congress' victory in Karnataka is PM Modi's defeat because no one campaigned in Karnataka except him. After (BJP's) Karnataka's defeat, Delhi's door is open for Congress in 2024.” 

Jairam Ramesh, who is Congress' General Secretary in-charge Communications, said the party will get majority votes based on the five promises made in its manifesto. “During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, we were there for 27 days in Karnataka and visited seven districts. We don’t have any doubt. We will get majority votes. We have promised 5 guarantees in our manifesto, and because of these guarantees Congress is guaranteed to win,” he said.

Congress leader Gourav Vallabh said on Friday that the party is already focusing on implementing the guarantees in their manifesto. "We are more concerned about the five guarantees, we are discussing about the structure of their implementation," he said.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Friday said, “I am very confident tomorrow Karnataka BJP is going to break two jinxes. One, after 1985, a political party has not come back to power again twice in succession and second that BJP Karnataka has not crossed 113 on our own till now. We are very confident when BJP is crossing 113 mark of our own and there is no question of seeking anybody's support.”

Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday said the BJP will cross the “magic number” and form a government on its own. “We are confident about crossing the ‘magic number’ and forming the government on our own. All exit polls will be proven wrong,” he said.

Amid the speculations about JDS alliance with a national party, JDS president CM Ibrahim refuted the reports and told that the decision is yet to be taken. He also announced that Tanveer Ahmed who claimed to be party's spokesperson doesn't belong to the JDS. 

Speaking to ANI, he said, “We have not decided on the alliance with any party as of now. Tanveer Ahmed is claiming that he is party's spokesperson and told media that the decion on alliance is made. Let me clarify that he is not with the JDS anymore and his comments are baseless. We will wait for tomorrow's result.” 

Karnataka minister R Ashoka said that the party has ‘plan B’ if it fails to get majority on Saturday. Speaking with a Kannada channel, News First, he said, “We are hoping to get a clear majority but if we doesn't, the party has plan B and we will have to start the operation. Please understand that we are a political party and not a group of sanyasis(saints). Let us wait for tomorow.” 

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Friday said the BJP has admitted its defeat and thanked the people of Karnataka for their votes. “I want to thank the 6.5 crore people of Karnataka who have voted for the Congress party. Let us wait till tomorrow, till the results are out. BJP has admitted their defeat. Congress party will form the government and we will serve the people of Karnataka,” he said. Read here

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai and other BJP leaders held a meeting at former CM and Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa's residence in Bengaluru on Friday. Bommai had earlier indicated that the saffron party will meet to decide its chief ministerial candidate.

JDS national spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed said his party will definitely play a significant role ahead of the results announcement of the Karnataka assembly election. “The expectations are very high. Exit polls are not exact polls, so we believe some really astonishing results. JDS is definitely going to play a very significant role,” he said.

While predictions of a hung assembly sparked talks of a possible coalition government again, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar refuted speculations that the party could join hands with the JDS as it had in 2018.

“Exit polls have their own theory. We don't go by those samples, my sample size is too high and in that, we will have a comfortable majority. I do not know about JDS, let them take their own call. I don't have any backup plan, my only plan is that Congress party will come to power,” he told ANI.

While Karnataka is reeling with the possibility of a hung assembly leading to a coalition government, CM Basavaraj Bommai rejected the prediction and said, “There is no chance of a hung Assembly, we are going to form the government comfortably. Let him (DK Shivakumar) be happy with his 141 seats till tomorrow.”

He also said the BJP is in the midst of deciding its chief ministerial candidate. “We will have a legislature party meeting to decide the CM's face,” he told ANI.

JDS' Kumaraswamy said he also wants his coalition partner in Karnataka to keep away from the party's major territories - Mandya and Hassan. He also put forth the condition that no ideology-related decisions are to be made without holding a discussion first, if the party were to enter an alliance with either the Congress or the BJP. Read our full story on this here.

Former CM Kumaraswamy put forth conditions that his coalition partner in Karnataka should allow the implementation of guarantees made in the JDS manifesto. Considering an alliance, Kumaraswamy said he does not want a coalition coordination committee, which was set up in 2018 when he joined hands with the Congress, the Deccan Herald reported.

With all major parties showing confidence ahead of the results announcement to the crucial Karnataka assembly election, BJP leader Dushyant Gautam also recated to the Exit Poll predictions which put the opposition Congress in lead. “We have done developmental work in the state which is why we are confident that we’ll form the government,” he told PTI.

Congress leader Priyank Kharge, son of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, on Friday exuded confidence in his partya nd said it will cross the 120-mark in Karnataka. Results are due to be announced tomorrow, with speculatiosn rife that the JD(S) may enter into an alliance and play “kingmaker” again. 

"We are extremely confident that we will cross the 120-mark and form the government," Priyank Kharge told PTI.

JDS second-in-command, HD Kumaraswamy, said he has “conditions” to enter into an alliance with either national party - the BJP or the Congress, those being that he should be the chief minister and that his party leaders should get plum posts including water resources, power and public works, the Deccan Herald reported.

TMC leader Madan Mitra reacted to the Karnataka Exit Poll predictions and said he will be the happiest person in the world if the BJP loses. 

“The exit poll can’t be ascertained as a final assessment. If BJP loses, I’ll be the happiest person in the world. Because I saw the PM visited Karnataka 100 times just like he came for elections in West Bengal. Despite the repeated visits of PM Narendra Modi if BJP loses I’ll be happy,” he told news agency ANI.

JDS leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy travelled to Singapore on Friday after a few exit polls predicted a hung mandate on May 13. He told Deccan Herald, “I am ready to get into an alliance with either BJP or the Congress. I am confident about getting 50 seats and I will go with the party which agrees to my terms and conditions.” 

Responding to the exit poll results of Karnataka assembly elections that are out on Wednesday, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar told, “We need to wait for the result day for the real results. The exit polls might predict a number but result day is what matters.”