Karnataka poll: 4 of 7 exit polls bet on BJP; counting of votes on May 15

Exit polls gave the JD (S) nearly two dozen seats or more, which could make it the kingmaker if there is a hung Assembly

Nearly 70 per cent of the 49.6 million electorate in Karnataka voted on Saturday to elect a new Assembly. As the voting ended at 6:30 in the evening, four of the seven polling agencies predicted in their exit polls that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would emerge the single-largest party when votes are counted on Tuesday.

Election Commission officials said the voter turnout could go up to the 71.4 per cent mark recorded in the 2013 Assembly elections. However, the voter turnout wasn’t as healthy as officials had expected in urban areas, particularly Bengaluru.

While most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly