Most of the exit polls predicted a hung house in Karnataka as voting came to an end for the 224-member state assembly on Wednesday evening. Four pollsters, however, predicted a full majority for the Congress party.
The results of the election will be announced on May 13.
The state is mainly witnessing a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular). The BJP is keen to retain the only state it has in southern India to further expand its footprint while Congress is keen to gain momentum for its challenge in the assembly polls later this year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
The exit polls predictions indicate that the JD(S) is likely to emerge as a kingmaker, though the party maintains that it will get enough seats to form government on its own.
Voting came to an end at 6 pm with data showing a voter turnout of nearly 70 per cent. Ramanagara recorded the highest turnout of 78.22 per cent, while the lowest polling was from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South limits (parts of Bengaluru city) at 48.63 per cent, election officials said.
A total of 5.31 crore electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.
The state had recorded a voter turnout of 72.36 per cent in the 2018 Assembly polls.
