Karnataka on Wednesday recorded a provisional voter turnout of 72.68%, beating the voting percentage from five years ago as polling for the assembly elections remained peaceful across the state barring isolated incidents, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said.
Voting began at 7am and ended at 6 pm, with 72.68% of the 52 million eligible voters exercising their franchise. The number was slightly higher than the final turnout figure of 72.36% in the 2018 assembly polls, and is likely to rise further once the final voting percentages are confirmed.
Polling across 224 constituencies sealed the fate of 2,430 candidates from the three major political parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) — and independents. The counting of votes will be held on May 13.
“Largely peaceful voting in all 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka, and no repoll indicated in any of the 58,545 polling stations,” ECI said in a statement.
Melukote in the Old Mysuru region recorded the highest provisional turnout of 90.93%, while CV Raman Nagar in Bengaluru saw the lowest polling at 47.43%, the ECI’s official turnout app said at 11.30pm.
Violence was reported from some areas, including at a village in Vijayapura district, where residents attacked a poll party, and in Ballari district, where a local Congress leader sustained head injuries during a clash between workers of his party and those from the ruling BJP, officials said.
In Vijayapura district, an ECI convoy was transporting a dozen reserve electronic voting machines (EVMs), meant for replacement if needed, in a car when the incident took place.
“As the team was moving from Vijayapura to Bisanal and Donuru villages, the convoy was blocked by people in Masabinal village. As they were not satisfied with the explanations given by our staff, they manhandled the staff and destroyed equipment. Around 12 each of EVMs and VVPATs were damaged in the attack,” said Vijayapur deputy commissioner Vijaya Mahantesh Dyamannavar, who is also the district election officer.
Around 20 people were detained in connection with the case, he added.
At Sanjeevarayanakote in Ballari rural constituency, local Congress leader Umesh Gowda sustained head injuries after being hit with a stone during a clash reportedly between BJP and Congress workers, officials said. Gowda recently switched to the Congress from the ruling party.
After polling, all three major parties sounded confident of reaching the halfway mark.
State Congress president DK Shivakumar, who was seen riding an auto-rickshaw with party workers in his home constituency on Wednesday afternoon, said there will be no post-poll alliance with the JD(S). “There are no chances of alliance with JD(S). We will form the government on our own,” he said.
Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the people of Karnataka will rally behind the BJP’s development agenda. “People of my constituency have showered me with so much love that I am sure I will be winning from here with a record margin, and so will the BJP,” Bommai told reporters in Shiggaon. “Our ground report says we will win with absolute majority. Let us wait till May 13.”
Karnataka has not voted an incumbent back to power in three decades, a jinx that the ruling BJP is aiming to break.
Source- Hindustan Times.
