Bengaluru Bureau, TNI: Voting commenced early on Wednesday for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Karnataka, with the ruling BJP aiming to make history by retaining its stronghold in the south while the Congress seeks a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The election is primarily seen as a three-way contest between the BJP, Congress, and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular).
A total of 224 seats are up for grabs, and prominent figures such as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Congress veterans Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy are among the candidates vying for victory. The votes will be counted on May 13, following the day-long voting process that started at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.
Across the state’s 58,545 polling stations, approximately 5,31,33,054 eligible voters can exercise their franchise. Of these, 2,67,28,053 are male, 2,64,00,074 are female, and 4,927 belong to the “others” category. A total of 2,615 candidates are contesting the elections, including 2,430 males, 184 females, and one candidate from the third gender.
The BJP, riding on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to break the 38-year jinx of the incumbent party not winning re-election since 1985. On the other hand, the Congress seeks to regain power, which would provide them with the necessary momentum and space to position themselves as the primary opposition party in the 2024 parliamentary elections. Additionally, the role of the JD(S) is crucial, as they could potentially emerge as the “kingmaker” or even the ruling party in the case of a hung verdict, as they have done in the past.
The voting process involves the use of 75,603 Ballot Units, 70,300 Control Units, and 76,202 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines. Stringent security arrangements have been put in place, with forces deployed from neighboring states to ensure a smooth and peaceful election. Approximately 84,119 state police officers and 58,500 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel across 650 companies are on duty to maintain law and order.
Special measures such as Micro Observers, Webcasting, and CCTVs have been implemented at critical polling stations to enhance transparency and monitor the polling process. In the previous elections held in 2018, the voter turnout was recorded at 72.36%.
To prevent voter apathy, the Election Commission scheduled the election on a weekday, avoiding a long weekend, in an attempt to discourage people from planning leisure activities on the same day.
Key candidates in the fray include Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from Shiggaon, Leader of Opposition and former CM Siddaramaiah from Varuna, JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy from Channapatna, and Shivakumar from Kanakapura. Apart from them, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar from Hubli-Dharwad Central, who recently joined the Congress after leaving the BJP, is also contesting in this election.
All political parties emphasized the importance of securing a government with a clear majority during the campaigning period, emphasizing the need for a strong and stable administration unlike what followed the 2018 elections.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, followed by Congress with 80 seats and JD(S) with 37 seats. There was one independent member, while the BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) each had one legislator.