Bengaluru: A voter turnout of nearly 72 per cent was recorded in the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday where the ruling BJP, a combative Congress and the JD(S), which is hoping to be a kingmaker in the event of a hung assembly, are locked in a cliffhanger contest.
Several pollsters 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.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, however, rejected the exit polls and asserted that his party will win with a clear majority.
Counting of votes for the 224-member Assembly will be taken up 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,” the Election Commission(EC) said.
Violence was reported from some areas including an incident where a poll officer was allegedly manhandled by some villagers, according to reports from districts.
According to the latest figures available at 10 pm, the turnout stood at 71.77 per cent. The EC said the final figures will be known by Thursday.
Karnataka recorded a 72.36 per cent voter turnout in the 2018 Assembly polls which had thrown up a hung assembly with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 seats, falling slightly short of getting a majority.
A total of 5.31 crore electors were eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.
While the BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the state has never voted the incumbent party to power, the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) will emerge as a “kingmaker” or a “king” by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past. The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP), which is in power in Punjab and Delhi, has also fielded candidates.
According to the latest voting data, Ramanagara in the Old Mysuru region recorded the highest turnout of 78.22 per cent, while the lowest polling was from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South limits (parts of Bengaluru city) at 48.63 per cent, election officials said.
The excitement among the first time voters was palpable. “I am very happy to vote. This is my right”, was a standard refrain among the new voters.
According to the EC, it has set up 996 all women managed polling booths, 239 booths managed by people with disabilities and 286 managed by youth.