Indus Valley Times

Karnataka ,May 13 : Counting for the eagerly awaited Karnataka Assembly election is underway, three days after voting took place to elect representatives to the 224-member Assembly.

The parties — archrivals BJP and the Congress, besides the JD(S) — will wait with bated breath to know their fate over the possibility of a hung assembly. Most pollsters have given an edge to the Congress over the ruling BJP, while also indicating the possibility of a hung Assembly in the state.

The counting began at 8 am in 36 centres across the state amid elaborate security arrangements in place, especially in and around the counting centres to avoid any untoward incidents.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said Wednesday had been chosen as the polling day to maximise the voting percentage. “We have kept the polling date on Wednesday as people take leave on Monday or Friday if polls are held close to weekly offs. Taking two days of leaves would be difficult,” he joked.

It worked as the polls saw a voter turnout of 73.19 per cent, the highest ever in the state’s history.

In the outgoing Assembly, the ruling BJP had 113 seats, while the Congress had 74 and the JD(S) 27. But the BJP is facing a stiff fight from the Congress this time, while the JD(S) may end up as the kingmaker.

The BJP is also fighting history as Karnataka has not re-elected a ruling party for 38 years.

The constituencies to watch out for include Shiggaon where Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is contesting, Varuna and Kanakapura where Congress heavyweights including former Chier Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar are in the fray and Channapatna, where another former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is a candidate.

This Assembly election carries much significance as it was held almost a year before the 2024 general elections. The counting will be held in 36 centres across the State, with 113 being the magic number for the 224-member state Assembly.

With hung assembly a possibility, will JD(S) be Kingmaker again?

Like it has been the trend for about the last two decades, Karnataka witnessed a three-cornered contest, with a direct fight between the said parties in most of the constituencies.

With most exit polls predicting a tight contest between the Congress and BJP, leaders of the two parties seem “jittery” over the outcome, while the JD(S) appears to be expecting a hung verdict, which would enable it to play a role in government formation.

Having banked on the Modi juggernaut, the ruling BJP is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the people have never voted the incumbent party to power, while 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.

It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) 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.

“A government with a full majority” was the strong pitch of the leaders of all the political parties during the high-decibel, no holds barred campaigning that ended on Monday, as they stressed getting a clear mandate to form a strong and stable government, unlike what happened after the 2018 polls.

The BJP had then emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by Congress with 80 seats and JD(S) 37.

In the 2018 elections, the Congress garnered a vote share of 38.04 per cent, followed by the BJP (36.22 per cent) and the JD(S) (18.36 per cent).

With no party getting a clear majority at the time and as Congress and JD(S) were trying to forge an alliance, B S Yediyurappa of the BJP, which was the single largest party, staked claim and formed the government.

However, it was dissolved within three days, ahead of a trust vote, as the saffron party strongman was unable to muster the required numbers.

Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as CM, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, triggered by the resignation of 17 ruling coalition legislators and their subsequent defection to the BJP.

This enabled the BJP’s return to power.

In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.

-PTI