Karnataka Election 2023 Polling: Karnataka is voting today after a high-stakes campaign that saw the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, going all out to retain its southern citadel while a combative Congress pushing for a fighting chance for the 2024 Elections. Voting started at 7 am and will end near 6 pm. The results will be declared on Saturday, May 13. A total of 2,615 candidates are in the fray. Opinion polls have given the Congress an edge in the election for 224 seats to the Karnataka Assembly.
Karnataka chief minister, Basavaraj Bommai, is the BJP’s candidate from Shiggaon in Haveri district, where he is pitted against Congress’ Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan.
Son of former Karnataka chief minister the late Somappa Rayappa Bommai, the 63-year-old is seeking re-election from Shiggaon for the fourth consecutive term.
I am 200 percent confident Congress will have 141 seats in Karnataka and will an absolute majority: DK Shivakumar.
The JD(S) fronted by 89-year-old former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is putting all its might ito emerge as "king" and form the full majority government. The party has run a highly localised campaign, led by HD Kumaraswamy and support from Gowda (especially in the Old Mysuru region), and is looking to re-emerge as an major political force not kingmaker to make majority. And while national parties the BJP and Congress have referred to the JD(S) as 'B Team', Kumaraswamy has focused on the Kannadiga identity, welfare issues, the poor and farmers issues during campaigning.
-- Poll officials said " elaborate security arrangements" for smooth conduction of elections
-- Forces from neighbouring states have also been deployed \
-- These include: 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
-- '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.
The voter turnout in the 2018 polls was 72.36 percent. In a bidto check apathy among voters, the Election Commission has come up with the idea of holding the poll in the middle of the week to prevent people planning an outing by clubbing the poll-day holiday with the weekend break.
"This is my first election and I am happy that the party gave me the opportunity to contest. I'm blessed to contest from the Shikaripura seat. People are fed up with hung assembly and I am confident that BJP will get majority. Modi's magic will give us absolute majority. We will win at least 130 seats in this election. Not only Lingayat community, but all other castes are also with BJP. Congress will lose the election very badly," says BJP leader BY Vijayendra
The BJP's focus has been centralised, with campaigns on 'double-engine' government, PM Modi and achievements of the Centre being highlighted. in fact, since announcement of the polls Modi has visited Karnataka seven times this year so far, and conducted a juggernaut campaign trail last week. His presence in the state has boosted party morale and confidence ahead of the impending polls on May 10.
Other BJP leaders on the campaign trail include Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Nitin Gadkari, and other state CMs like UP's Yogi Adityanath, Assam's Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Goa's Pramod Sawant.
The party is hoping for clear majority this time and has focussed efforts on the Old Mysuru region, where traditionally it has been weak.
Union Minister and BJP MP from Dharwad constituency, Pralhad Joshi is at a polling booth in Hubballi. "I'm happy that people are celebrating this festival of democracy in a big way. People are interested to bring BJP's double-engine govt. BJP will form govt on its own," he told ANI.
-- 5,31,33,054 electors are eligible to cast their vote for 2,615 possible candidates.
-- 2,67,28,053 voters are male, 2,64,00,074 are female and 4,927 are "others"
-- 58,545 polling stations have been provided
-- 75,603 Ballot Units (BU), 70,300 Control Units (CU) and 76,202 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) prepared.
Karnataka registers 7.8 percent voter turn-out till 9 am on May 10
-- Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani casts his vote at a polling booth in Koramangala, Bengaluru.
-- BJP Karnataka president Nalin Kumar Kateel is queued at a Mangalore polling booth to vote
-- Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind arrives to cast his vote at a Bengaluru polling booth
-- Kannada actor Ganesh, wife are at a RR Nagar polling booth in Bengaluru to vote
