Despite most exit polls indicating a possible victory for the Congress party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya has predicted a win for the BJP in the recently concluded Karnataka assembly elections. Speaking to India Today, Surya said that the BJP will form a majority government in the state and asked Congress supporters to not celebrate prematurely.
"I will ask Congress to not start celebrating prematurely because the voters' voice will be heard on the 13th. BJP will emerge as the single-largest party on the 13th," he told NDTV in another interview following the exit polls.
India Today-Axis My India has projected an outright majority for the Congress party with 122-140 seats, 62-80 seats for the BJP, 24-32 seats for JD(S) and 0-3 seats for others. News 23-Today’s Chanakya has predicted 120 seats (± 11 seats) for the Congress, BJP 92 (± 11 seats), JD(S) 12 (± 7 seats) and 0 (± 3 seats) for others. The ABP - CVoter survey has also predicted that the Congress will win the election and form the government.
Surya, who claimed to have collated inputs from ground-level workers in at least 100 booths, said that the BJP was performing well across the state and was set to add to its tally in Bengaluru. He stated that the exit polls' numbers were wrong and urged the Congress to wait until the results are officially announced on May 13.
“I can tell you we are performing very well across the state and we will add to our tally in Bengaluru. I can tell you these numbers could not be more wrong. The numbers from Bengaluru are shocking," Tejasvi Surya said.
He further told the channel that a high voter turnout is a good sign for the BJP. "Whenever voter turnout is high in urban areas, then it is a good sign for the BJP. The voter turnout has been high in areas where the BJP has won," he said. "As far as Bengaluru’s is concerned we will only add to our tally and not lose anything," he added.
Surya added that a high voter turnout was a good sign for the BJP and that the party was likely to do well in urban areas. However, figures shared by the Election Commission showed a drop in voter turnout in Bengaluru, with rural areas in the Old Mysore districts of Mandya, Mysuru and Ramanagara recording a high turnout. Bengaluru recorded a voter turnout of 54.53% without counting postal votes and home voting, which was a marginal drop compared to 2018’s 55%. The lowest voter turnout in the city was recorded in CV Raman Nagar constituency where polling percentage was just 47. In comparison, constituencies like Melukote and Hosakote recorded a 90% turnout.
Tejasvi Surya was speaking to television channels after at least five exit polls predicted Congress emerging as the single largest party. The JD(S) could still play kingmaker in 2023 with most exit polls projecting that the regional party will win more than 20 seats.