Voting ends for Karnataka Assembly polls
A voter turnout of 65.69 per cent at 5 pm; lowest polling was from BBMP South limits at 48.63 per cent, while Ramanagara recorded the highest of 78.22 per cent
image for illustrative purpose
The state is mainly witnessing a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular). A total of 5.31 crore electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray
Bengaluru: Voting came to an end for the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday at 6 pm with data showing a voter turnout of 65.69 per cent at 5 pm.
According to the latest voter turnout for the polls to the 224-member Assembly, Ramanagara 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 state is mainly witnessing a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular).
A total of 5.31 crore electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray. Prominent among those who voted today include former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa and D V Sadananda Gowda (both BJP) and Siddaramaiah and Jagadish Shettar (both Congress) and IT industry veteran N R Narayana Murthy and wife Sudha Murty.
Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 72.36 per cent in the 2018 Assembly polls. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is seeking re-election from Shiggaon in Haveri district for a fourth consecutive term, said he would win with a record margin. “So is the BJP,” he added, “which is going to win with a record number of seats.” Bommai said the party would get a “comfortable majority.”
First-time voters and the elderly stole the show as they were seen participating in the voting process enthusiastically in many segments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers and enrich the “festival of democracy.”
