Bengaluru, May 11,2023: Karnataka has recorded a voter turnout of 73.19 per cent in 2023 state assembly election, which is the highest-ever since 1952 in the state.
“Karnataka has created a new record for itself. Final voter turnout for Karnataka Election 2023 stands at 73.19 per cent,” Karnataka Chief Electoral Office said here on Thursday evening.
Most of the pollsters are predicting a hung verdict in the state, except two who are giving BJP and Congress a comfortable majority.
Voters in Bengaluru Urban have been a disappointing breed as only 52.33 per cent of them have come out to exercise their franchise. Last year the percentage of voter turnout in the city was nearly 55 per cent.
Interestingly, the neighbouring Bengaluru Rural stood in the second spot in overall voters turnout data, registering 85.08 per cent, next to the No.1 district of Chikkaballapur where as much as 85.56 percent voters turned out to exercise their franchise.
Largely, peaceful voting has taken place in all 224 assembly constituencies in the state and no repoll has been indicated in any of the 58,545 polling stations, the EC said.
This year’s voter percentage overpassed the previous record of 72.44 per cent, which was recorded in 2018. In 2013, it was 71.83.
Counting of votes is scheduled for May 13.
The last assembly election 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.
The BJP is banking on its micro-management team, Modi magic and 72 new faces to take them past the magic figures of 113 and break a 38-year-old poll jinx of overthrowing the ruling party from power.
The Congress is expecting an absolute majority to gain momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
JDS is expecting to play kingmaker’s role in case of a hung verdict, while Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power in Punjab and Delhi, has also fielded candidates.
All the major parties ran their campaigns with full steam, but the resolve to ban Bajrang Dal in Congress manifesto gave a handle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP to portray Congress party as anti-Hindu by saying that they had a problem with Lord Ram, and now have with Bajrang Bali.
This forced the Congress party on the backfoot who started to clarify on Bajrang Dal ban with Veerappa Moily, first among the party leaders, who said the state governments do not have any rights to ban any organisation, except the central government, and denied that there was any proposal to ban Bajrang Dal.
Barbs like venomous snake, Vishakanya and Nalayak beta were hurled against each other during the poll campaign, which forced the election commission to issue an advisory, asking them to uphold their dignity.
While AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge called Modi a venomous snake and his son and Congress candidate Priyank Kharge called PM a nalayak beta, BJP candidate Basanagouda Patil Yatnal asked if former Congress President Sonia Gandhi is a vishkanya.
