Bangalore, May 15 (PTI): The ruling Congress in Karnataka is looking for a big win from a sharply bipolar race in the state in an outcome that could also have a bearing on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's standing within the party.
Exit polls on Karnataka have projected conflicting trends, some giving anxiety and others hopes both for the Congress and BJP, the principal opposition which is gung ho about a comeback after losing its first ever government in the South in the May Assembly polls last year.
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It is a high-stake election for Siddaramaiah for whom the party should reach the respectable tally of at least 15 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats for him to continue to have a trouble-free power ride for some more time to come.
Siddaramaiah has been dismissive about exit poll numbers some of which have given a clear edge to BJP while some others for his party. In the 2009 polls, BJP bagged 19 seats, Congress six and JDS 3. Two subsequent by-polls saw the Congress increase its tally to eight at the expense of JDS.
"Which one should I believe", the Chief Minister has wondered, even as he hopes that some of the flagship populist schemes of his government such as providing rice at Re 1 a kg to the poor would help shore up the numbers.
On the other side, BJP already appears to be euphoric that it would see a turnaround in its fortunes after the bitter Assembly polls debacle and more or less replicate the last Lok Sabha poll success.
Three out of four exit polls forecast that the BJP would come up trumps in Karnataka with two surveys even projecting 18 seats for it and the other two upto 14. One survey has forecast a maximum of 16 seats for the Congress while the lowest projected tally is seven.
A resurgent BJP believes that the pendulum has swung in their favour with the big push given by the Modi factor. It also reckons that the return of its Lingayat strongman B S Yeddyurappa has brought back the votes it had lost.
On his part, Siddaramaiah has repeatedly dismissed speculation about any specific number having been set as a target for him by the party top brass.
Reflecting the burden cast on his shoulders, Siddaramaiah has led the Congress offensive vigorously to put up a good show that would help him maintain his hold over power and scotch any attempt by his silent detractors within the party to target his leadership.
Among the keenly watched battles is Bangalore South, where Infosys co-founder and face of "Aadhar" programme Nandan Nilekani has given a run for the money to his formidable opponent Ananth Kumar (BJP), who is aiming for a sixth win in a constituency that, barring once has been impregnable to the Congress since the 1970s.
Union Ministers Mallikarjuna Kharge (Gulbarga) and M Veerappa Moily (Chikkaballapur), former Prime Minister and JDS chief H D Deve Gowda (Hassan) and B S Yeddyurappa (Shimoga) are other prominent contestants.
EC readies for vote count in Karnataka
Bangalore, May 15 (IANS): Amid tight security, about 13,000 polling officials in Karnataka will Friday count the votes polled for the state's 28 Lok Sabha seats.
"We have made elaborate arrangements with fool-proof security to ensure peaceful counting of votes at all centres in the state, including four in Bangalore and one in each constituency across the districts," state chief electoral officer A.K. Jha told IANS Thursday.
Polling in the state was held in a single phase for the first time in many years. Around 67 percent of the 46 million electorate exercised their democratic right April 17.
Re-polling was held April 29 in 12 booths spread over nine parliamentary constituencies due to glitches in the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Each counting centre will have 64 tables and each table will be manned by three officials, including a counting supervisor and two assistants. A micro-observer will monitor the entire process in the presence of one agent from each candidate's side.
"We have trained officials to activate the EVMs and record votes stored and announce the numbers to micro-observers, recording officials and agents," Jha said.
The state poll panel has installed closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in all centres to record the proceedings and ensure transparency in the exercise.
"Micro-observers and officials will be allotted tables randomly and intimated early Friday to ensure secrecy of ballot boxes (EVMs) that will be opened assembly segment wise after counting of postal ballots from 8 a.m. onwards," Jha said.
The poll panel will provide regular updates. "People can also access updates every hour on trends and results on our website (ceokarnatala.kar.nic.in) throughout the day. We hope to declare all results by evening," Jha said.
The counting centres are under heavy guard with personnel from the state and central security forces.
Police have banned parking of vehicles in a 1-km radius around all counting centres in the state and vehicular movement will be restricted/regulated to prevent traffic jams and crowding.
In all, 434 candidates, including 195 independents and 21 women, contested the elections. Of the 28 seats, five are reserved for dalits (SCs) and two for tribals (STs).
About a dozen constituencies in the state will be in the spotlight due to their high profile candidates and the political parties they represent.
Among them is Bangalore South where Infosys co-founder and technocrat Nandan Nilekani of the Congress is in the fray against five-time MP and BJP candidate N.H. Ananth Kumar.
Also in the limelight is Bangalore Central since former Infosys director and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate V. Balakrishnan is pitted against outgoing BJP lawmaker P.C. Mohan and Youth Congress leader Rizwan Arshad.
Bangalore North, Mandya, Mysore, Hassan, Chikkaballapur, Shimoga, Gulbarga, Uduip-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada and Bellary are some other important seats.