Voting will be held tomorrow for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray.
According to the Election Commission of India, the voting for Karnataka assembly elections will take place from 7 am to 6 pm tomorrow. The majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.
Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations tomorrow.
A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.
As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote tomorrow in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes.
The polling parties are being provided with all the materials including EVM and VVPAT machines at the mustering centres in all the 224 Assembly Constituencies. They will be transported to respective polling stations with route officers shortly along with security personnel.
84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty on poll day across the state. All Police officers are on rounds to ensure Law and Order efficiently and handle MCC violations. 185 Interstate Border Check-posts are on high alert by the Police and other personnel. 100 Excise interstate border check-posts are also on high alert. The Commercial Tax officers are deployed in 185 Check Posts (SSTs) and 75 Excise Check-posts.
CEC Rajiv Kumar said “CEO and DEOs have been instructed to provide all facilitation will be provided across more than 58k polling booths set up across 224 ACs. Specifically, 996 Women Managed Booths, 239 Booths were managed by Persons with Disabilities, 286 were managed by youths, and 737 theme-based and ethnic Polling stations.” Basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, ramps, wheelchairs, electricity, volunteers, shades, help desks and parking facilities have been provided at all the polling stations.
The high-voltage campaign for tomorrow’s assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.
The BJP, though it might be facing an air of anti-incumbency, is eyeing a second term in the state and has exuded confidence in retaining power with a full majority.
The Lingayat and Vokkaliga voters will play a major factor in the elections. Lingayats comprise 17 per cent of the population and Vokkaligas 11 per cent.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the party will return to power with a full majority.
Shah held a mega roadshow in Doddaballapura on Sunday. “We will win the elections by full majority or at least half a mark plus 15 seats. In these four years, Yediyurappa and Bommai government has done a lot of work,” the Union Home Minister told ANI.
With top leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigning for the party, BJP put all its might to strengthen its support base.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 19 public meetings and held six roadshows. Amit Shah held 16 public rallies and 14 roadshows. BJP chief JP Nadda held 10 public meetings and 16 roadshows.
Hectic electioneering by leaders of various political parties saw BJP allowing Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to campaign with their full force while Congress putting its chief ministers including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as star campaigners.
The Congress on the other hand worked hard to wrest power from the BJP that is striving to break the 38-year-old pattern of alternating governments and retain its power in the state.
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, held various roadshows, rallies and elections campaigns.
With the war of words between top guns of all the major political parties, the campaigns of the election of the southern citadel saw allegations and accusations flying thick and fast.
Several issues of the state were promised to be solved.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday expressed confidence that BJP will win 135 seats in Karnataka polls and termed Congress as “a sinking ship”.
Addressing a press conference on the last day of the campaign in Karnataka, the senior BJP leader said a “double-engine government” is essential for the development of the southern state.
“Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah did roadshows and rallies. I am confident that we (BJP) will win 135 seats in the Karnataka Assembly election. Congress is a drowning ship, its leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won only 2-3 seats in Uttar Pradesh even after campaigning for 4-5 months,” Yediyurappa said.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who was in Bengaluru as part of the Karnataka Assembly elections campaigns, on Monday said that the grand old party would be elected to power as the people of the state want an “end to corruption”.
“We are very confident and hopeful. I am not a predictor of numbers; I can only see the response that we have gotten from the public. The people of Karnataka want an end to corruption,” Priyanka said while talking to the media after her mega roadshow in the city.
Priyanka held a roadshow in Bengaluru’s Vijayanagar on the last day of campaigning.
However, the issue of Bajrang Dal, which was mentioned in the Congress manifesto, took centre stage in the political campaigning.
The Congress party last week in its manifesto for the May 10 elections said it will take “decisive action” as per law including banning organisations like Bajrang Dal, the Popular Front of India and others.
The Congress manifesto said the party is committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred among communities on grounds of caste and religion.
As part of Congress campaigning for the elections, Rahul Gandhi, who is on a visit to Karnataka to campaign for his party, held an interaction with gig workers and delivery partners of app-based delivery services in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The former Lok Sabha MP interacted with delivery workers at a hotel in Bengaluru.
The counting of votes will take place on May 13.
This report is filed by ANI news service.
