KARNATAKA ELECTION 2023: After the conclusion of voting for the Karnataka election of 2023 on Wednesday night, the majority of exit-poll agencies predicted a hung House in the state while favoring the Congress. The expected loss of the BJP's sole southern state would be a serious setback for the party. 

Experts believe that winning Karnataka would be essential to gaining momentum before the more significant conflict in 2024 and to entering the following national elections with conviction. Losing Karnataka would undermine the BJP's assertion that it is a pan-Indian party, but it would give Congress the much-needed boost it needs as it prepares for a comeback in 2024 following a succession of election defeats.

Experts are of opinion that it will be a helpful lesson for PM Modi. Nalin Mehta, a political scientist and the author of a new book about the BJP, remarked the state elections are a “high-stakes prestige contest" for both parties.
Karnataka will ultimately offer helpful lessons to Narendra Modi government about what works with voters, Mehta said “The outcome of this contest will influence much of the political discourse on the road to the 2024 national election."
Losing Karnataka would be a setback for the BJP's efforts to expand its electoral base beyond the state, as the state sends up to 28 representatives to the Lok Sabha, second only to Tamil Nadu's 39.

Given his personal engagement in the campaign, Gilles Verniers, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, a think tank in New Delhi, stated that "a loss in Karnataka would cost the prime minister."  
Prior to the Karnataka elections, PM Modi actively campaigned there by taking part in a number of road shows and open meetings. 

Karnataka assembly poll results on Saturday: Voting for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election took place on Wednesday, and the result of the three-way race between the incumbent BJP, the Congress, and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's JD(S) will be made public on Saturday, May 13.

Exit polls are not always reliable and have frequently predicted the wrong winner in previous elections, especially in states with different populations, castes, and groups. However, they are helpful in spotting trends.

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