New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said it was hopeful of getting a comfortable majority in Karnataka citing its internal assessments and Election Commission reports that voting surged significantly till 1 pm.
“We are getting a comfortable majority. People are still inside the polling stations though the gates were closed at 6 pm. By the time the final polling figures would be available, the voting would be between 75-77 percent this time. This is 7-9 percent higher than the 68 percent polling in the 2018 assembly polls. A two percent upward swing in voting brings in additional 30 seats. What we are getting is more than sufficient. This is a good indicator for us,” a senior AICC functionary manning the party’s war room said on condition of anonymity.
“We are still collecting and collating information from the booth-level teams across the state, polling agents and from the respective candidates,” he said. Voting for the 224 assembly seats in the southern state took place on Wednesday amid a tight contest between the BJP, the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular. The results would be out on May 13.
On Twitter, the party shared the Exit Poll numbers and wrote: "As the exit polls roll in, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Congress party is on track for a resounding victory."
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As the exit polls roll in, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Congress party is on track for a resounding victory. pic.twitter.com/0dG1e4rWkb
— Congress (@INCIndia) May 10, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">As the exit polls roll in, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Congress party is on track for a resounding victory. pic.twitter.com/0dG1e4rWkb
— Congress (@INCIndia) May 10, 2023As the exit polls roll in, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Congress party is on track for a resounding victory. pic.twitter.com/0dG1e4rWkb
— Congress (@INCIndia) May 10, 2023
In the 2018 polls, the BJP had 104 seats, Congress 80, and JD-S 37. According to war-room sources, a region-wise breakup showed that the Congress was sweeping the Kalyan Karnataka and Central Karnataka areas, ahead in the Old Mysuru area while it was 50:50 in the Kittur Karnataka and Bengaluru region.
A sufficient hint came from former party chief Rahul Gandhi who thanked the people for coming out in large numbers to vote for a progressive future for the state. Rahul, who had set a target of 150 seats for the party, also thanked the workers and leaders for a well-run, dignified and people-oriented campaign.
Describing them as Babbar Sher' (lions), the former Congress President also thanked people who came out to vote for a progressive future'. "I want to thank the 'Babbar Sher' workers and leaders of Congress for a well-run, dignified and solid people-oriented campaign. Thank you to the people of Karnataka for coming out in large numbers to vote for a progressive future," Gandhi tweeted at the end of the polling.
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I want to thank the Babbar Sher workers and leaders of Congress for a well-run, dignified and solid people-oriented campaign.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 10, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Thank you to the people of Karnataka for coming out in large numbers to vote for a progressive future.
">I want to thank the Babbar Sher workers and leaders of Congress for a well-run, dignified and solid people-oriented campaign.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 10, 2023
Thank you to the people of Karnataka for coming out in large numbers to vote for a progressive future.I want to thank the Babbar Sher workers and leaders of Congress for a well-run, dignified and solid people-oriented campaign.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 10, 2023
Thank you to the people of Karnataka for coming out in large numbers to vote for a progressive future.
Both AICC in charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala and AICC social media in charge Supriya Shrinate noted that the EC reports saying there was a huge increase in voting till 1 pm was a positive indicator. “This is a very positive sign depicting the anti-incumbency wave against the BJP’s 40 percent commission government. The turnout was particularly higher in the rural areas in the seats of the BJP ministers,” said Surjewala.
“The voters have spoken decisively. The government is on its way out,” said Shrinate. Former union minister Ajay Maken stuck his neck out and predicted 153 plus-minus 5 seats for the Congress even before the various exit polls were out. The Congress, which usually refrains from commenting on the exit polls, said that it was becoming increasingly clear that the party was on track for a resounding victory.
Gurdeep Singh Sappal, a senior AICC functionary, said that people’s issues mattered in the Karnataka polls and not brand PM Modi. He further said that most of the TV news channels were a picture of BJP chief JP Nadda as they discussed the exit polls and not that of PM Modi and this was an important indicator of the coming result.
According to senior state leader BK Hari Prasad, “the five social welfare guarantees of the Congress and the people’s anger over corruption against the state government was going in the grand old party’s favour.”
Read: Karnataka Exit Polls 2023 | A tight race with edge to Congress
Read: Karnataka elections 2023: Malfunctioning of EVMs, irate voters damage machines
