With less than a week before polling day in the Karnataka Assembly elections, a pre-poll survey has given Congress reason to cheer.
A survey conducted by ABP News-Lokniti CSDS over the last few days of April and first days of May indicates that Congress is inching ahead of the BJP and JD(S), its two rivals in the state.
While earlier polls had indicated a hung Assembly with no definite party securing a clear majority, the new survey attributes the Congress’ lead to the ‘selection of candidates.’
Citing calculations done by the Chennai Mathematical Institute based on the ABP News-Lokniti CSDS polls, a Deccan Chronicle report states that while Congress is likely to win 92-102 seats, the BJP will win 79-89 seats. The JD(S) is predicted to end third, with a mere 34-42 seats in the 224-strong Assembly.
The survey reportedly indicated a lead for the Congress in Coastal Karnataka and Bombay Karnataka regions, where the earlier Jain University-CSDS poll had indicated a BJP lead. The Congress, however, is trailing behind the JD(S) in the Old Mysuru region of South Karnataka, the survey noted.
According to Deccan Chronicle, the Congress’s lead is also due to the split in the anti-Congress vote between the JD(S) and the BJP. Also, the minority, Dalit and tribal votes reportedly rest with the ruling party.
Meanwhile, the Lingayat-appeasement move launched by the Siddaramaiah government might not have worked in their favour in swaying the BJP loyalists away, opined the survey.
As far as the CM candidates are concerned, incumbent Siddaramaiah ranked at the top, edging over the BJP candidate BS Yeddyurappa by a six percentage point lead. The JD(S) candidate HD Kumaraswamy managed a mere five percentage points.
(With inputs from Deccan Chronicle)
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