The electoral predictions made by the various exit polls about the outcome of the Karnataka election seem to have hit bull's eye. The Congress has, expectedly, taken a major lead within the first couple of hours of counting of votes. But the trend that has surprised pundits and politicians alike is the revival of the Janata Dal - Secular, which has relegated the Bharatiya Janata Party to the third position.
Mangalore was a sure shot bastion of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party was said to be vistually unbeatable here. However, the 2013 assembly election results are narrating a completely different story.
If the exit polls in Karnataka are to be believed, the Congress will manage to scrape through and get a thin majority in the state assembly when the votes are counted on Wednesday. But the party may have a tough time in selecting a chief minister as senior leaders Dr G Parameshwar and Siddaramaiah are both eyeing the coveted post.
Was people's desire for change the reason behind the high voter turnout in Karnataka?
A list of constituencies, which have placed on high alert in Karnataka, has been drawn out by the Election Commission. These constituencies, in which security has been tightened, will see a number of heavyweight candidates in the fray.
Even as voting began on a dull note in Karnataka, leaders from across parties expressed confidence about their performance in the ongoing elections.
The Election Commission on Saturday announced extension of polling time by an hour up to 6 pm for Sunday's Karnataka assembly elections, in view of the weather conditions and excessive heat.
The police on Friday arrested two more people for their alleged involvement in blasts outside the Bharatiya Janata Party's office in the city. Vayalar Hakim and Azghar Ali, who were picked up by the Tamil Nadu police, hail from Coimbatore.
In the run-up to the Karnataka assembly elections, neither the Congress nor the Bharatiya Janata Party has left any stone unturned. Both parties have ensured that their star leaders --- Congress's Rahul Gandhi and BJP's Narendra Modi -- campaign in the state
We have heard about some very bizarre superstitions that the candidates followed while filing their nominations for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.
With only a few hours remaining, candidates have been hitting the streets with door-to-door campaigns, distributing pamphlets with the party name and serial numbers.
Believe it or not, national leaders have been talking in code language during the Karnataka election campaign.
Around three years back, Excise Minister Renukacharya proposed to review the deadline, but was met with stiff opposition by his own party members, especially from late Dr V S Acharya.
The Central Industrial Security Force has recovered over 1,900 detonators from Kolar district ahead of the Karnataka elections to be held on May 5.
Vicky Nanjappa reports on how Narendra Modi has not just managed to draw the crowd in Karnataka but improved the BJP's chances in the state
Party chief H D Kumaraswamy told media persons, "If my party does not get majority, we will not form an alliance with anyone. I would rather sit in opposition than being a part of a coalition government."
Called the thinking man's constituency, the biggest issue in Malleshwaram is infrastructure, reports Vicky Nanjappa
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who faces an acid test in the May 5 assembly elections, has said that there will be no government in the state without his support.
As election campaigns across Karnataka draw to a close, both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are fine-tuning their last-minute strategies. The BJP is banking heavily on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to add glitter to its campaign while the Congress is setting up teams to douse the dissidence and motivate grass-root level workers.
Udupi in Karnataka has witnessed a close electoral fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in the last few years, with the former winning the seat in the last three polls. But the BJP was forced to deny a ticket to Raghupathy Bhat after a CD showing the sitting Member of Legislative Assembly in an alleged compromising position was revealed.
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