Today is the D-Day for the political leaders in Karnataka. While the 9 exit polls showed different results, the Congress is confident of its victory.
But will Congress’ confidence be enough for the party to form a government? Will they be able to keep Karnataka in their clutches?
While the Congress is confident of crossing the halfway mark on its own, the party is rushing to partner up with JD(S) for ‘just in case’.
This decision comes after the uncertainty in the exit polls and the lessons learnt from Goa and Manipur, where it failed to form governments despite emerging as the single largest party.
Azad, an old Karnataka hand and general secretary in charge of the state two decades ago, was the AICC minder for Karnataka when former president Sonia Gandhi contested the Bellary Lok Sabha seat in 1999.
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Azad had talks with a senior JD(S) leader in Delhi before leaving for Karnataka to understand former prime minister and JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy better.
Sources said the meeting was a mere exchange of notes and that nothing substantial was discussed as no “serious discussion can take place without the numbers.” According to the JD(S) assessment, it may well play a crucial role in government formation if neither the BJP nor Congress reached the halfway mark. It seems that the Congress is expecting between 113 to 120 seats.
The exit polls had thrown a lurch in the Congress’ confidence. Sources said that the JD(S) and the Congress will work together in the event of a hung assembly. And Azad’s presence in Bengaluru is significant since the Congress wants a leader of experience and stature to deal with Deve Gowda, a former PM.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah is willing to step down to make way for a Dalit CM. Some Congress leader has said that this is just a political statement and that the CM has won over the Dalits.
Now, all that awaits is the counting to officially begin.
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