Karnataka Election Highlights: Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 72.67 per cent in the Assembly elections, which is slightly above the previous polls in 2018. Several pollsters have predicted that the Congress may have an edge in Karnataka, which is BJP’s southern citadel, in a hung assembly with a couple of them even projecting that the grand old party may get a majority on its own. According to an Election Commission release late last night, the voter turnout stood at 72.67 per cent, excluding the postal ballots and home voting. Chikkaballapur district registered the highest voter turnout at 85.83 percent followed by Ramanagaram at 84.98 per cent, it said.
While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year jinx — the State has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985 — and tighten the grip on its southern stronghold, the Congress is seeking to wrest power to give the party the much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 parliamentary polls. Also what needs to be seen is, whether the JD (S) will emerge as a “kingmaker” or a “king” by holding the key for government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.
Karnataka Elections 2023 Voting Highlights: The prominent candidates in fray are Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, BJP leaders CM Basavaraj Bommai, BY Vijayendra, Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Kumaraswamy.
Karnataka Minister and BJP candidate from Kanakpura constituency R Ashoka casts his vote. He is pitted against Congress candidate and KPCC president DK Shivakumar.
In the outgoing Assembly, BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress at 69, JD(S)–29, BSP one, two Independents, Speaker one and vacant six (following deaths and resignation to join other parties ahead of polls).
In the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by Congress at 80, JD(S) 37. There was one independent member, while BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) had one legislator each.
With no party having a clear majority and as the Congress and JD(S) were trying to forge an alliance, B S Yediyurappa of BJP staked claim and formed the government. However, it had to resign within three days ahead of the trust vote, unable to muster the required numbers.
Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with Kumaraswamy as CM, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition, and defected to BJP facilitating the party coming back to power. In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.
A total of 5,31,33,054 electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.
Among the electors, 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 female and 4,927 “others”, while among the candidates 2,430 are male, 184 female and one from third gender.
People of Karnataka have decided that they shall choose a progressive, transparent & welfare-oriented government. Today, it is time vote in large numbers. We welcome our first-time voters to participate in this democratic process for a better future: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge
Siddalinga Swami of Siddaganga mutt casts his vote for Karnataka Elections2023, at a polling booth in Tumakuru.
Actor Prakash Raj arrives at polling booth in St. Joseph's School in Shanti Nagar, Bengaluru to cast his vote for the Karnataka polls.
As many as 84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces ) police in 650 CoYs (companies) are on law & order and security duty on poll day across the state.
'Critical Polling Stations' are covered by one or more of the measures like Micro Observers, Webcasting and CCTVs to keep a watch on the polling process as force multipliers, reports PTI.
A total of 75,603 Ballot Units (BU), 70,300 Control Units (CU) and 76,202 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) are slated to be used during the voting.
As many as 5.31 crore electors, including 2.64 crore women and 4,927 third genders, will exercise their franchise to elect representatives to the 16 th Legislative Assembly of Karnataka. A total of 2,615 candidates are in the fray across 224 constituencies.
Voting for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly polls begin.
On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights: Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Urging the people of Karnataka, particularly young and first time voters to vote in large numbers and enrich the festival of democracy: Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Preparations are underway at a polling booth in Dollars Colony, Bengaluru.
#KarnatakaAssemblyElection | Preparations are underway at a polling booth in Dollars Colony, Bengaluru ahead of voting for the Assembly polls.
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023
Voting for the single-phase election for 224 members State Legislative Assembly will begin at 7 am. pic.twitter.com/XepOuSPri8
Hello readers! Welcome to Financial Express Online live blog! Catch all updates on the Karnataka elections 2023 here.
The Election Commission said enforcement agencies in the state seized over Rs 375 crore worth of liquor, drugs and freebies which was 4.5 times more than what was recovered during the last assembly election in the state. It said that increased focus on expenditure monitoring was the reason being the seizures, which included freebies such as sarees, ‘food kits’, pressure cookers and kitchen appliances. The Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth Rs 288 crore after the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct on March 29 in the state.