Karnataka election congress, bjp in talks with jd(s)

Karnataka election-Congress, BJP in talks with JD(S) According to most of the post-poll surveys, the BJP is set to emerge as the single largest party in Karnataka, with the JD(S) likely to emerge as the kingmaker

With just one more day to go before the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 results, BJP president Amit Shah has asserted that his party will form the next government in the state, while the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(s), has claimed that neither incumbent chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah nor BJP chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa will become chief minister of Karnataka. Siddaramaiah, for his part, has exuded confidence that the Congress will get an absolute majority in Karnataka and has ruled out any possibility of a tie-up with the JD(S).

According to most of the post-poll surveys, the BJP is set to emerge as the single largest party in Karnataka, with the JD(S) likely to emerge as the kingmaker. As reported earlier, while most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly with the BJP ahead, two said the BJP would either come very close to or cross the halfway mark of 112 seats.

However, the India Today-Axis exit poll said the Congress might bag a majority.

Here are the top ten developments around the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 results: 1) Both BJP, Congress courting JD(S) despite denials: BJP and the Congress leaders, according to a previous Business Standard report, are in touch with the JD(S) leadership, and have proposed power-sharing scenarios that could be acceptable to party leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. The BJP and the Congress, both, have ran coalition governments with the JD (S) between 2004 and 2008.

2) Repolling in three booths today: Repolling on three polling booths -- one in north Bengaluru's Hebbal constituency and two in Kushtagi in Koppal district -- was scheduled be held on Monday, according to the EC. "Repolling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm as an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioned at a polling booth in Hebbal on May 12, while at two booths in Kushtagi voters' names were wrongly listed," state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar told reporters.

3) Paswan mocks Rahul's statement on becoming prime minister if Congress wins 2019 LS polls: Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday mocked Rahul Gandhi's remark that he would become prime minister if the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying that there was no vacancy for the top post as Narendra Modi would return to power in 2019.

4) Siddaramaiah rubbishes exit polls, says Congress will get an absolute majority: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has brushed aside the exit polls, most of which have predicted a fractured verdict with some pointing towards a possible defeat for the Congress.

Exuding confidence, Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that the Congress would get an absolute majority in Karnataka and ruled out any possibility of a tie-up with the JD(S), led by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda.

5) Siddaramaiah ready to step aside for Dalit chief minister: Responding to a question on the possibility of a Dalit chief minister in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah said, "It is fine if the party decides to have a Dalit chief minister." The chief minister was speaking to reporters in the Chamundeshwari constituency, one of the two seats from where he contested in the high-stakes polls, along with Badami in north Karnataka.

6) Amit Shah confident of BJP victory in Karnataka: BJP President Amit Shah, for his part, is also confident that his party will form the next government in Karnataka. "The BJP will form the government in Karnataka on May 15 evening after the results," Shah said while addressing a gathering of around 15,000 BJP workers at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium near Panaji.

7) Yeddyurappa matches Siddaramaiah's confidence, says BJP will get absolute majority in Karnataka: If Siddaramaiah is confident of a Congress victory, his opposite number in the BJP is no less confident that the chief minister will be from the BJP after the results are declared. Yeddyurappa on Sunday said that he will "give it in writing that the saffron party would win the Karnataka Assembly election with an absolute majority" and get

125 to 130 seats.

8) JD(S) says Siddaramaiah, Yeddyurappa will have to swallow their words: Exuding just as much confidence as the BJP and Congress ahead of the May 15 results, the Janata Dal (Secular) on Sunday claimed that neither Siddaramaiah nor Yeddyurappa will become the chief minister of Karnataka. Talking to news agencies, JD(S) National General Secretary Danish Ali said that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the BJP's Yeddyurappa were making claims of forming the next government in the state but the results would prove them wrong.

9) Congress says no chance of post-poll alliance with JD(S): Congress on Sunday denied any chances of stitching a post-poll alliance with the JD(S) to come to power in Karnataka. Addressing the media in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that he does not believe in the exit polls whether it is in favour or against his party.

10) Karnataka Assembly election 2018 voter turnout highest since 1952 state polls: The 72.13 per cent voter turnout in the Karnataka Assembly election has broken all records and is the highest since the 1952 state polls, Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar said on Sunday. Women and young voters exercised their franchise in large numbers on Saturday, he told news agencies.Kumar said the 2013 Assembly polls had recorded a turnout of 71.45 per cent, which was the highest in the last six Assembly elections.

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