Congress single-largest party in exit-polls, state likely to head into hung assembly
Bengaluru: As Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 come to a close, several exit polls have predicted the possible outcome of the elections. Four prominent exit polls have been conducted, and the results indicate that the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 could be a closely contested affair.
According to the ZEE-MATRIZE exit poll, the Congress is predicted to win between 108 to 118 seats, while the BJP is expected to win between 79 to 89 seats. The JDS is projected to win between 25 to 35 seats, while other parties are expected to win between 2 to 4 seats.
The Republic-PMARQ exit poll paints a different picture with the BJP predicted to win between 85 to 100 seats and the Congress expected to win between 94 to 108 seats. The JDS is projected to win between 24 to 32 seats, while other parties are expected to win between 2 to 6 seats.
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TV9 Bharatvarsh's exit poll results indicate that the Congress is expected to win between 99 to 109 seats, while the BJP is predicted to win between 88 to 98 seats. The JDS is expected to win between 21 to 26 seats, while other parties are expected to win between 0 to 4 seats.
The TV9-C Voter exit poll has predicted that the Congress may win between 100 to 112 seats, while the BJP may win between 83 to 95 seats. The JDS is projected to win between 21 to 29 seats, while other parties are expected to win between 2 to 6 seats.
All the exit polls indicate that the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 could be a closely contested affair with none of the parties predicted to win a clear majority. The actual results of the elections will be known on the day of the vote counting, which is scheduled for May 13.
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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.
