Karnataka is all set to vote for 224-member Legislative Assembly in a single phase on Wednesday after weeks of high-decibel campaign that saw political parties launching no-holds-barred attacks on each other. The polling for Karnataka Assembly elections will start at 7am and close at 6pm. Pollsters like Axis My India, CVoter, Lokniti-CSDS, and Today's Chanakya are expected to release their exit poll results via various TV news channels soon after the voting is declared closed. (Also Read | Karnataka Assembly elections 2023: Voting time, documents to carry & all you need to know)
While the exit poll results are not necessarily a reflection of the final results, many people wait for them keenly. The exit polls results by survey agencies will be aired on television news channels they have a tie-up. Television news channels like News18, India Today, Times Now, ABP News, and Republic TV air the results provided by the survey agencies. Hindustan Times will also publish the exit poll results of most of the major survey agencies to keep its readers updated with the latest on the Karnataka Assembly polls.
Several pre-poll surveys have indicated a clear edge to the Congress over the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections but the saffron party will be pinging its hope on aggressive campaigns and roadshows held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break a 38-year-old jinx – Karnataka has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985 – the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The performance of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) can have a huge impact as it could decide whether his party will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.
{{/usCountry}}The performance of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) can have a huge impact as it could decide whether his party will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.
{{/usCountry}}On the eve of polling day, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar appealed to over 5.3 crore electors, especially 11.71 lakh first-time electors, in the state to participate enthusiastically in the elections scheduled tomorrow. He urged the young and urban electors in the IT Capital of the country to take inspiration from the elderly voters like 103-year-old elderly voter Mahadeva Mahalinga Mali and participate actively in the festival of democracy, defeating the prevalent trend of urban apathy in the state.