The elections to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the results of which will be available in a few hours, have been tough to predict. While most exit polls have predicted a fractured mandate, long-time election observers on the ground have also been unable to predict despite a perceived anti-incumbency and corruption charges against the ruling BJP.
The rebel factor, a large number of new candidates in the fray, change of legislators, triangular fights in many constituencies, high-profile contests, local issues, and more importantly, the interplay of changing caste combinations triggered by the last-minute decisions of the BJP, among others, are said to be making the predictions of the election outcome tough, multiple poll managers across parties said. A number of these contests are expected to go down to the wire.
