BENGALURU: After a campaign fueled by communalism and accusations, polling for the Karnataka assembly will be happening today. The counting of votes will be on Saturday. Congress and the BJP are in a fierce battle to secure an absolute majority of 113 seats in the 224-member assembly. Exit poll results are in favor of Congress. It is predicted that BJP will get 80-85 seats.
In the experience of last time's failed alliance with the Janata Dal, Congress is trying to win a majority on its own this time. Janata Dal is also careful to maintain its own potential.
It's only a matter of days before we know who will fall and who will rise among the shapers of Karnataka politics like BS Yediyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai, DK Sivakumar, Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy.
Factors such as anti-incumbency sentiment, shifting caste-community support and the abolition of minority reservations will determine the popular vote. While there was strong anti-incumbency sentiment, the ruling BJP's main weapon was communalism. Congress's manifesto that the Bajrang Dal will be banned if they come to power is the main weapon against them. BJP's campaign was to say Jai Bajrang Bali in mind while voting.
JP Nadda, Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, Nirmala Sitharaman, Yogi Adityanath and other 40-member star campaigners and Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to maintain BJP's only state in South India. BJP held more than 1000 road shows, public meetings and more than 200 Maha rallies. We will know on Saturday whether all this will bear fruit.