Karnataka Elections 2023 LIVE Updates:
As many as 1.56 lakh police personnel will be deployed across Karnataka for the Assembly polls on Wednesday (May 10), said Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood. 304 deputy superintendents of police (DySP), 991 inspectors, 2,601 sub-inspectors, 5,803 assistant sub-inspectors, 46,421 head constables/police constables, and 8,500 homes guards and police personnel from neighbouring states would be mobilised. In addition, 650 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state armed police would be deployed.
Also Read: In flood, Covid-hit Kodagu, BJP hopes to ride Bajrang Dal, The Kerala Story rows
Meanwhile, the Election Commission said seizures of cash, liquor, drugs and freebies meant for distribution in Karnataka had increased by 4.5 times compared to that during the 2018 Assembly polls. It said seizures worth Rs 375 crore have been recorded so far, as opposed to Rs 83.93 crore in 2018. A total of Rs 147.46 crore in cash, liquor worth Rs 83.66 crore, drugs worth Rs 23.67 crore, precious metals worth Rs 96.60 crore and other freebies worth Rs 24.21 crore have been seized.
The voting for Karnataka Assembly elections were held peacefully on Wednesday, and the state witnessed a record voter turnout of 72.67 per cent, which is higher than the 72.13 per cent polling recorded in 2018 (the highest in the state since 1952). The state recorded 71 per cent polling in 2013 and 65 per cent in 2008 for the 224 assembly seats. The results of the election will be announced on May 13, Saturday.
The highest polling of 90 per cent was recorded in Melukote where the Congress is supporting Darshan Puttannaiah, a candidate from a farmers’ party, and in Hoskote. Most of the constituencies in the Old Mysore region witnessed polling of over 75 per cent.
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As the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 concluded on Wednesday, a voter turnout of 72.67 per cent was recorded, according to data from the Election Commission. This is higher than the 72.36 per cent voter turnout recorded in the 2018 Assembly polls. The EC said the final figures will be known today.
Good morning! Welcome to today's live blog. With just two days to go before the Karnataka assembly elections, we bring to you latest updates, analysis on exit poll results and more. Stay tuned!
A 23-year-old woman gave birth to a baby in a polling booth in Kurlagindi village of Ballari. Female officials and women voters helped to deliver the baby.
Following exit poll reports, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he believes in the ground numbers. "We will get full majority and the exit polls are not accurate. It will swing 5-10 per cent either side. We have the complete ground report and let us wait till 13 May for clarity," he added.
He also said that there won't be resort politics (in case of hung Assembly) and the question will not arise as BJP is going to get the majority. He also said that JD(S) will not be the kingmaker this time.
A polling officer was taken into police custody after a woman filed a complaint that he had fraudulently cast her vote in favour of the BJP candidate at a polling booth in the Chittapur constituency of Kalaburagi district.
The woman had requested the polling officer, BC Chauhan, to cast her vote in favour of Congress candidate Priyank Kharge, but the officer had cast it in favour of BJP candidate Manikanth Rathod. When the woman objected, Congress workers gathered at the spot and Priyank Kharge complained to the Election Officer Naveen Kumar. The polling officer was immediately replaced and taken into police custody based on the complaint.
Polling stopped in a booth in Chamnur village as the Presiding Officer was allegedly influencing people to vote for BJP. Chief Electoral officer in a tweet said, "The Presiding Officer is changed immediately based on the complaint received and polling is continued. Due action will be taken against the officer as per law."
With his son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, 63, laid up in hospital due to exhaustion after extensive campaigning for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls over the past four months, Deve Gowda took the lead in campaigning for the JD(S) for now.
THE FORMER prime minister and 90-year-old Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Deve Gowda who has difficulty walking and needed to be supported by his security staff in getting on and off the stage, was lucid and clear when he spoke on the microphone. Read the full story here
He was seen casting his vote at a polling booth in Hassan.
THE Congress’s complaint to the Election Commission over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video appeal to Karnataka voters on Tuesday, a day before voting, has again highlighted a loophole in the rules that allows political parties to campaign on social media during the “silence period” of 48 hours before polls.
The PM’s appeal was posted on Twitter on Tuesday morning, while the authorised campaigning period for the Karnataka polls ended at 6 pm Monday. The Congress has alleged violation of the “silence period”, that comes into place at least 48 hours before voting, under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Read more
President of the Congress state unit and party's candidate from Kanakpura DK Shivakumar was seen driving an auto in his constituency.
Shivakumar is a seven-time MLA from Kanakapura. In the 2018 Assembly Election, he won the seat defeating the Janata Dal (S) candidate by a margin of 79,909 votes.
The May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections came to a close on Wednesday evening, with 65.59 per cent of eligible voters exercising the franchise till 5 pm.
Ganjigere village voters in KR Pet Assembly segment returned the aarees and chicken which were allegedly given by BJP candidate KC Narayan Gowda. According to the sources, the sarees and chicken were distributed on Tuesday evening to reportedly lure the voters. The villagers also raised slogans against BJP.
EVM machines were destroyed in the Vijayapura district after some people near a polling station assumed that they were being taken before the conclusion of the polls. According to the district SP Anand Kumar, there were additional EVM machines kept and some of the election officials were carrying it. The public near the polling station mistook that these machines were being illegally carried before conclusion of elections and destroyed it. About 15 persons have been taken into custody.
In a similar incident in Masabinala village of Basavanabagevadi constituency of Vijayapura district, villagers stopped the sector officer's vehicle which was carrying reserved EVMs and damaged two control units, two ballot units and three VVPATs. 23 people have been arrested.
The exit polls for the Assembly elections in Karnataka will be announced on Wednesday evening. By 1 pm on Wednesday, the state had recorded a voter turnout of 37.25%.
The 2018 Assembly election results did not give any party a clear majority. After the results, the BJP was called to form the government as the single-largest party, with 104 MLAs in a House of 224. However, the Congress and JD(S) quickly came together and assembled 116 names (Congress 76, JD-S 37 and three Independents) to remove it. Read more
Distributing freebies during elections is not new to Karnataka. But this time, Election Commission officials have seen a rise in articles such as pressure cookers, mixers, sarees, ornaments and much more – all with an eye to woo the woman voter.
The latest electoral rolls data revealed that women voters outnumber men in 112 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka. The overall gender ratio of electors stands at 989 women voters per 1,000 men voters, and women are likely to play a big role in the election on Wednesday. Read the full story here
Vokkaliga Mutt leader Nirmalananda Swamiji casts his vote in Karnataka's Nagamangala district.
In unrelated incidents, two voters died during the polling process. While a 70-year-old woman died while standing in the queue at a booth in Belagavi district, Jayanna, 49, died minutes after voting at Chikkole, Belur.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader K Siddaramaiah cast his vote in the Varuna Assembly constituency in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah visited the temple earlier in the morning before exercising his franchise.
Fact: Though it came into existence only in 2008, the constituency of Varuna in Karnataka has been the most talked about during elections since then. And the reason is obvious. It is the home turf of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. While all three consecutive wins for the Congress — two for Siddaramaiah and one for his younger son Yathindra in 2018 — were cakewalks, some locals said the Congress heavyweight who is in the fray this time would not find it easy as the BJP had fielded state minister V Somanna who is from the dominant Lingayat community. The constituency has more than 2.3 lakh voters, with Lingayats comprising the majority.
A complaint and a counter-complaint have been lodged at the Bajpe police station here after Congress workers alleged that the supporters of Mangaluru North Janata Dal (Secular) candidate B A Mohiuddin Bava assaulted them on Tuesday night.
Two Congress workers who were injured in the scuffle, Nizam and Hasher, have been admitted to a private hospital. Bava had switched over to JD(S) recently after he was denied a Congress ticket. Read here
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda casts his vote at a polling booth in the Hassan district.
Several were reportedly injured after a clash broke out between BJP and Congress workers at a polling booth in Ballari.
A voter turnout of 37.25 per cent has been recorded in Karnataka as of 1 pm, the Election Commission said.
As voting is underway in Karnataka, several were injured in a clash between BJP and Congress workers at a polling booth in Ballari.
AICC president Malliarjun Kharge and his wife Radhabai Kharge cast their vote in the Kalaburagi constituency in Karnataka.
Karnataka Minister of School Education, Literacy and Sakala BC Nagesh, who is contesting from the Tipatur constituency, cast his vote along with his family.
? Fact: BC Nagesh declared assets worth Rs 7.95 crore for the Assembly polls.
Are you stepping out to vote in Karnataka today? Here's a quick look at the party manifesto of the BJP and Congress and what they have promised if they come to power.
Congress: A cautious line on reinstating the old pension scheme (OPS), silence on the hijab ban imposed in pre-university colleges in the state, promise to increase reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs, Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, restoration of 4% quota for Muslims, and imposition of a ban on the Bajrang Dal — the Congress manifesto for Karnataka is an interesting mix of both adhering to and nuancing of its past positions, as well as another push to its aggressive social justice outreach. Read here
BJP: For the first time in Karnataka, a BJP manifesto has promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code, apart from bringing in a National Register of Citizens. If voted to power, the BJP will bring in the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) “based on the recommendations of a high-level committee to be constituted for the purpose”, the manifesto said. Read here
Dr Manasa Dhananjay, a voter from the Jayanagar Assembly constituency in Bengaluru has been unable to vote for the elections in the last two terms, because of the deletion of her name from the voter list. She alleged that the voter's names are different in the voter list, however, the address and other details are correct.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman, who cast her vote for Karnataka Assembly polls, expressed confidence about BJP coming back to power in the state with a full majority and criticised the Congress over inflation during UPA rule.
"You are watching for yourself the situation here, senior citizens, youth, women have come with families and are peacefully standing in queues to cast their votes, and looking at the way in which they interacted with me it is clear to me that BJP will come back victorious with full majority," she said, news agency PTI reported.
With the Karnataka elections underway, have a look at the total assets of some of the top candidates in fray.
The presiding officer at a polling booth in Chamnur village of Karnataka’s Chittapur town was changed after a complaint of voter manipulation was received against him on Wednesday, the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka said. Polling is underway in the 224 Assembly seats of Karnataka.
Congress MLA Priyank Kharge alleged that polling was stopped in booth number 178 as the presiding officer was “prompting/influencing people to vote for BJP”. Read the full story here
Karnataka Elections 2023: Karnataka Congress president and party's candidate from Kanakapura, DK Shivakumar said today that he was confident about Congress winning the elections. Watch the full video here:
Co-founder of IT major Infosys N R Narayana Murthy and his author wife Sudha Murty cast their ballot for the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday and exhorted people to vote.
"First, we vote and then we say this is good and this is not good. But if we don't do that, then we have no rights to criticise," 76-year-old Narayana Murthy said after exercising his franchise in the morning in Bengaluru. (PTI photo)
As voting for the Karnataka elections is underway, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "...Congress party will win the election with a thumping majority...We will get more than 130-135 seats," news agency ANI reported.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed confidence in the BJP returning to power with an outright majority. Speaking to reporters here after casting his vote at a government school in Haveri district, Bommai, who is seeking re-election from Shiggaon segment for a fourth consecutive term, said he would win with a record margin.
"So is the BJP, which is going to win with a record number of seats. Comfortable majority will be there," he said, news agency PTI reported.
With the Karnataka elections 2023 underway, a bride and groom were seen casting their vote ahead of their wedding at a polling booth in Mysuru district.
The current competitive electoral discourse of parties in Karnataka reveals a certain lack of engagement with what are arguably critical issues in the state’s political economy. Undoubtedly, Karnataka is a fast-growing state, a leader in IT, ITeS and exports, in cutting-edge sectors such as biotechnology, and is an epicentre of tech-driven start-ups.
Despite this impressive post-1990s growth profile, poverty in Karnataka (at 13.2 per cent in 2021), continues to be highest among the southern states (4.89 per cent in Tamil Nadu, 0.71 per cent in Kerala and 12.3 per cent in Andhra Pradesh). Similarly, estimates from 2021 show that Karnataka does not feature in the high HDI list of eight states and in fact, the state’s overall HDI ranking amongst all states is 17th. Supriya RoyChowdhury writes
People waiting in queue to cast their votes in Bengaluru. Voting is underway for 224 Assembly seats in Karnataka.
In 2014, when the Congress faced a humiliating rout in the Lok Sabha elections swept by the BJP on a Narendra Modi wave, one of the reasons attributed for its fall was the failure of the party to communicate the Manmohan Singh government’s landmark initiatives such as RTI and MNREGA, and to counter the BJP’s corruption campaign against it.
Singh’s successor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has proved to be an absolute contrast. As evident once more in the Karnataka campaign that wrapped up Monday, with Modi leading from the front and, in his message of “double-engine” sarkar, making the election as much about his government as Basavaraj Bommai’s. Liz Mathew writes
As of 11 am, the voter turnout in Karnataka stands at 20.92 per cent, the Election Commission of India said.
? Bengaluru Urban - 17.7%
? Bengaluru Rural - 20.3%
? Udupi- 30.2%
? Chamarajanagar- 16%
? Dakshina Kannada -28.4%
? Uttara Kannada - 25.4%
? Varuna - 24%
? Kanakapura - 32%
? Hubbali Dharwad Central- 22.1%
Karnataka Elections: Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy cast his vote at a polling booth in the Ramanagara district in Karnataka.
In a writ petition brought before a special bench of the Karnataka High Court, the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association and the proprietor of the Nisarga Grand Hotel Wednesday obtained a stay on a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) order against them for providing free or discounted food to those who have already voted in the Karnataka Assembly elections.The bench consisted of Justice TG Shivashankare Gowda. Read here
As voting was underway in Karnataka, Congress leader Priyank Kharge alleged that voting in booth no 178 in Chamnur village was stopped.
In a tweet, Kharge alleged the Presiding Officer was prompting the public to vote for BJP. In response, the Karnataka Election Commission said that the officer had been changed based on the complaint received and polling resumed. "Due action will be taken against the officer as per law," it said.
Several voters queued in line to cast their votes at a polling booth in Bengaluru's Jayanagar area. (Express/Sanath Prasad)
84-year-old Nagalakshmi casts her vote at a polling booth at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bengaluru.
Former Karnataka minister and senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa cast his vote at a polling booth in Shivamogga. Neither Eshwarappa nor his son received a ticket from the BJP this time.
Remember when? After he was left out of the candidate list, Eshwarappa informed the BJP central leadership of his desire to retire from electoral politics. He also requested that his son K E Kantesh be fielded from Shivamogga. But the party denied that request too and gave the ticket to Channabasappa instead, a decision Eshwarappa publicly accepted without complaint. Eshwarappa had to step down from the government last year after being accused of corruption in the wake of a contractor’s suicide.
Without naming any party, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter and BRS MLC K Kavitha asked Karnataka voters to cast the ballot for development and prosperity, news agency PTI reported. "Dear Karnataka, Reject Hatred! Vote for development, prosperity & well-being of the society and the people," she said in a tweet.
Expressing his confidence on the Congress' performance in the Karnataka assembly elections 2023, party leader and former Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah said, "Congress will get 130 plus seats, it may go up to 150 seats also," news agency ANI reported.
After casting his vote in the Karnataka Assembly Elections, former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress candidate from the Hubli-Dharwad Central seat, said, "Very good response from the people. There is an undercurrent. People from all castes, everybody is working and voting for me. Congress & Jagadish Shettar will get elected with a huge margin," news agency ANI reported.
Remember When...? Shettar was one of the BJP’s key Lingayat leaders and became the Chief Minister of Karnataka at a turbulent time for the party in 2012 when B S Yediyurappa left to float his outfit. Now, Jagadish Shettar finds himself in the Congress after being denied a ticket from the Hubli-Dharwad Central seat
Speaking to The Indian Express: In an interview, the six-time MLA takes on his former party for not having a clear policy on dynastic politics and asks why he was singled out. He alleges that BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh has not worked in the “interest of the party” and expresses confidence that the people of his constituency will back him even though they have been voting for the BJP for three decades.
After casting his vote, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said, "Karnataka which is the land of Bajrang Bali will answer all these things on 13th May," news agency ANI reported.
"We welcome DK Shivakumar and Congress party offering prayers to LPG cylinders, we are happy that Congress is doing some kind of puja at least," he said.
After casting his vote in Bengaluru, actor Prakash Raj said, "...I have Voted against communal politics.. against 40% corrupt sarkar .. Do VOTE with your conscience.. do VOTE for inclusive Karnataka"
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar cast his vote in the Kanakapura constituency. After voting, Shivakumar said, "...Today young voters have a great opportunity...They will vote for a change...They know about the price rise & corruption in the state. I am sure they will go for a change and give us 141 seats. I am confident that Congress party will form the Govt".
Till 9:30 am, Karnataka registered a voter turnout of 8.02 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India. Udipi recorded the highest turnout of 13.28 per cent, while Yadgir recorded 5.33 per cent.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after casting her vote at a polling booth in Jayanagar, Bengaluru.
Major political parties in Karnataka- The Karnataka Election is facing a three-way contest between ruling BJP, the Congress, Janata Dal (Secular).
In the run-up to the elections, a large part of the political action in Karnataka saw the BJP trying to woo the Vokkaligas, the dominant land-owning community in the Old Mysore region where the Janata Dal (Secular) and its traditional rival Congress rule the roost.
The Karnataka Elections are being conducted in a single phase and the Election Commission of India will declare the final election results on May 13.
The winning party needs at least 113 seats to form a government in Karnataka Assembly. There are 36 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 15 for Schedules Tribes (ST). Congress has 75 seats, and JD(S) has 28 seats in the incumbent Assembly.
The Karnataka Elections 2023 is a crucial election not only because Karnataka is one of India’s biggest and most influential states but also because it could set the tone for a series of crucial elections in the coming months leading all the way to the national general elections in early 2024.
Here’s a quick look at some of the key economic and social metrics of Karnataka. The idea is not just to look at how Karnataka compares with the India average and some of the other big states but also analyse how it has shaped up over the past four-five years. To be sure, the last state elections in Karnataka happened in May 2018 and as such data for the financial year ending March 2018 provides a good backdrop for comparisons. Udit Mishra explains this in his weekly newsletter