Congress Gains Clear Edge in India Today Axis My India Exit Polls, forecasts magic figures
Bengaluru: Following the conclusion of voting in the highly anticipated Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday, all attention was focused on the release of exit poll predictions after 6 pm. While the final outcome will be declared on May 13 during the vote counting process, the exit polls offered insights into the decisions made by the people of Karnataka for the next five years.
Meanwhile, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll signaled a comfortable victory for the Congress, projecting the party to secure 122-140 seats and a 43 percent vote share. This would surpass the halfway mark of 113 seats. For the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party, the exit poll predicts 62-80 seats and a vote share of 35 percent. The JD(S) is expected to win between 20-25 seats, with a vote share of 16 percent, and a 6 percent for others.
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According to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll, the Congress is projected to secure a significant victory in various regions. In the Bombay-Karnataka region, the Congress is expected to win 28 seats, while the BJP is predicted to secure 21 seats. The Congress is also anticipated to achieve a majority in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, securing 32 seats. In the Bangalore region, the Congress is likely to win 17 seats, whereas the BJP may secure 10 seats. In Central Karnataka, the Congress is predicted to win 12 seats, with the BJP expected to secure 10 seats. The India Today-Axis My India exit poll further indicates that the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to dominate coastal Karnataka, winning 16 out of 19 seats. Thus, the BJP is positioned to secure a majority in Coastal Karnataka, as per the India Today-Axis My India exit poll.
The state witnessed polling for 224 seats, with a voter turnout of over 65 percent recorded till 5 pm. The battle between the incumbent BJP, Congress, and JD(S) featured a total of 2,615 candidates. The election campaign concluded on Monday, May 8, with prominent campaigners such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah representing the BJP, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge advocating for the Congress, and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy addressing multiple rallies throughout the state.
“I play more than cricket here, I play chess” - DK Shivakumar
In an interview with India Today TV, Karnataka Congress supremo DK Shivakumar expressed his confidence in winning a majority in the polls and said “This is purely a local election and Modi’s name will not work here in Karnataka elections.” He emphatically stated that the Karnataka elections are solely focused on local issues and that the influence of Prime Minister Modi's name would not be effective in this context.
Shivakumar strongly criticized Modi's campaign in the state, questioning the need for such an extensive effort if the BJP was confident in their achievements and development agenda. He stressed that the people of Karnataka desire a corruption-free government and a globally recognized Karnataka, and that the Congress party is dedicated to fulfilling these aspirations.
During the interview, when asked about who the Congress's captain is, Rajdeep Sardesai, the consulting editor of the India Today Network, curiously drew a comparison to cricket and asked “ Do you watch cricket, RCB’s captain is faf-du-plesis, who is congress’s captain,” responding to which Shivakumar said “I play more than cricket here, I play chess.” Cleverly responding by saying that he engages in more than just cricket, referring to his strategic approach akin to playing chess.
Additionally, Shivakumar said that the congress is devoted to implement all its 5 guarantees vowed during the campaign and its poll manifesto.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
