Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018: Congress to Return to Power, to Win 126 Seats, Says Survey

Meanwhile, 45 per cent respondents said that Siddaramaiah was their first choice as Chief Minister of Karnataka. 26 per cent said their first choice was BJP's BS Yeddyurappa.

New Delhi, Mar 26: A poll survey said the Congress will retain power in Karnataka, with an increased vote share and number of seats. The pre-poll survey conducted by C-Fore predicted that the party will win 126 seats in the 224-strong assembly in the upcoming state polls.

The survey was conducted between March 1 and 25 and the poll agency took feedback from 22,357 voters in 154 assembly constituencies. The agency gave a margin of error of one percentage point.

The poll agency further said that the Congress party will improve its vote share by 9 per cent– which is 46 per cent of the vote cast. The BJP will get 31 per cent of the votes; the JDS will get 16 per cent votes.

In 2013, C-Fore had predicted that the party will 119-120 seats– the party ended up with 122. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is predicted to win 70 seats this year– the party had won 40 last elections. The JDS will be the biggest loser with its tally dropping from 40 to 27 seats.

Of the respondents, 44 per cent said they would vote for Congress; BJP was favoured by 33 per cent. With 17 per cent votes, JDS was on the third position, whereas 6 per cent people supported ‘others’.

Meanwhile, 45 per cent respondents said that Siddaramaiah was their first choice as Chief Minister of Karnataka. 26 per cent said their first choice was BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa.