Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: All you need to know

Election Commission directs Karnataka administration to declare paid holiday on polling day

The Karnataka Assembly elections are set to take place on May 10 to choose 224 members of the Assembly. The present tenure of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will end on May 24, 2023. The results will be out on May 13.

It it to be noted that there are 5.21 crore registered voters, including 2.59 crore women, in Karnataka. As per the Election Commission, the voter list includes 16,976 centenarians, 4,699 transgender voters, and 9.17 lakh first-time voters.

Special facility for voters

As per the apex election body, 5.55 lakh voters are disabled, and 12.15 lakh voters are over 80 years old. For the first time, the Election Commission has decided to provide facility of ‘vote at home’ for people over the age of 80.

Polling stations

For over 5,21 crore voters, as per the latest available data, there are 58,272 polling stations across the state, including 24,063 in urban areas, and among them, 1,320 are managed by women, 224 by youth, and 224 by Persons with Disabilities (PWD).

Out of the total polling stations, 29,141 will have webcasting, and 1,200 are deemed critical. Most of the polling stations are located in schools, which are equipped with permanent water, electricity, toilet, and ramps as a part of the Election Commission's gift to the schools and their students.

BJP leadership

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), under the leadership of Basavaraj Bommai, is presently ruling Karnataka. The previous assembly elections were held in May 2018, after which a coalition government of Janata Dal (Secular) and Indian National Congress formed the state government, with H. D. Kumaraswamy becoming Chief Minister. However, in July 2019, the coalition government collapsed, and the BJP formed the state government with B. S. Yediyurappa becoming Chief Minister.

On 26 July 2021, Yediyurappa resigned from the Chief Minister's post, and Basavaraj Bommai was sworn in as the new Chief Minister on 28 July 2021.

Also Read | Vote-at-home facility, portal for disabled: What will be new in Karnataka Elections 2023