Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, May 20: The exit polls that came out soon after the polling for the final phase of Lok Sabha elections ended on Sunday May 19 gave a big thumbs-up to the BJP-led NDA, with most of them predicting well over 300 seats for the ruling party.
The prediction for Karnataka was no different, with exit polls giving BJP anywhere between 18 to 25 seats out of a total of 28.
In Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts as well, BJP is set to continue its dominance, according to India Today - Axis My India exit poll.
According to the exit poll, BJP's Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje are set for another term as MPs of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. If Nalin Kateel indeed wins, it will be his third consecutive term as MP of the district, while for Shobha Karandlaje, if she wins, it will be the second consecutive term as MP of Udupi district.
The exit poll also predicts that both the BJP candidates will see a smooth sailing, as both Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are not among the 'tough seats'. The tough seats are ones where the margin between two leading parties is three percent or less.
Nalin Kumar Kateel is up against newcomer Mithun Rai of Congress, while Shobha Karandlaje's chief opponent is former minister Pramod Madhwaraj, a Congress leader fighting on JD(S) ticket.
In the run up to the elections in the two districts, anti-incumbency factor seemed to be weighing heavily against both Nalin and Shobha, with a section of the local BJP party members themselves expressing opposition to their candidatures. However, all that changed after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi days before the districts went to polls. Modi's hugely successfull rally in Mangaluru boosted BJP's spirits and going by India Today's exit poll, it seems to have translated into votes in these two BJP strongholds.