Exit polls give edge to Indian National Congress in Karnataka ballot

Results are seen as an indicator for general elections due in April 2024

A woman shows her finger after voting at a polling station during the Karnataka election in Bengaluru, India on Wednesday. EPA

The Indian National Congress is expected to win regional elections in Karnataka against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, exit polls have suggested.

Parties need 113 seats to form the government in the 224-seat assembly after voting on Wednesday.

About 73 per cent of the estimated 50 million voters went to the polls in the coastal state. The result will be declared on Saturday.

Karnataka is a vital state for Mr Modi's BJP. The election is seen as an indicator of the party's performance in general elections in April next year.

Mr Modi, who addressed several large rallies during a months-long campaign, wrote an open letter to voters urging them to “exercise their franchise” for the future of the state.

More than 2,600 candidates were in the fray in the sixth-largest state in the country.

It saw a three-way fight between the BJP, Indian National Congress and Janata Dal. They fielded 224, 223 and 207 candidates respectively.

It is the first of the five state elections this year.

While the incumbent BJP is hoping to return to power, TV exit polls and election pundits have given an edge to Congress.

According to news channel India Today and the Axis My India exit poll, Congress is expected to secure between 122 and 140 seats. However, News 24-Today's Chanakya exit poll projected that the “grand old party” would win 120 seats.

One exit poll has projected the BJP to win with a majority, whereas at least 10 others have shown a hung assembly, with Congress leading by only a few seats.

Karnataka has not seen a party win a second term since 1985.

The Congress and Janata Dal teamed up to form a government in 2018, but the alliance collapsed a year later after some of the coalition's legislators joined the BJP.