Karnataka polls: 56% overall turnout till 3 pm; polling affected due to heavy rain in Hubli
Mangalore Today News Network
Bengaluru, May 12, 2018 : At least 56% voter turnout has been recorded till 3 pm in Karnataka where polling for the high-stakes 225-member state assembly began under a thick security blanket and the watchful eyes of the Election Commission on Saturday morning. However, the voting is being held in 222 out of the 224 seats.
Voting for the fiercely fought polls began at 7 am and continued on a moderate to brisk note.
The Election Commission deferred the polls for the Rajarajeswari Nagar constituency to May 28 after a massive row erupted over a large number of voter ID cards being found in an apartment.
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who voted at a polling booth in Hassan’s Holenarasipura, was accused by the Congress that his party Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) is the BJP’s Team B. PM Narendra Modi, however, rebutting the Congress’s allegations."It is the Congress that is secretly working with them and the two will align after the elections," PM Modi said during a rally. Mr Gowda, however, has clarified that he will not allow any alliance with the BJP. In a warning to his son, the JD(S) chief said that he will "disown" his son HD Kumaraswamy if he decides to align with the BJP. "We vote everytime. Have been voting here (this constituency) for over 50 years now. We have a good chance to form the government this time. The result will be known in a few days. Our party (JDS) will do well," he said this morning.
On Friday, the Election Commission deferred voting in Bengaluru’s Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency, where nearly 10,000 voter cards were found in a flat, to May 28. Voting for another constituency in Bengaluru was postponed due to the death of the BJP candidate and the sitting legislator. The votes will be counted for 222 of the 224 seats next Tuesday, May 15.
Opinion polls have predicted that neither the Congress, nor the BJP will get majority in the state and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) will be the kingmaker.
Sri Sri Ravishankar after casting in vote in Bengaluru.
The scion of the Mysore royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, after voting in Mysuru. The 26-year-old is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts in the US. Two years ago anointed as the new Maharaja of Mysore, titular head of the over 600-year-old Wadiyar dynasty.
Cricketer Anil Kumble tweeted this photo from a polling booth in Bengaluru.
Congress legislator NA Haris helping his aged mother to climb the stairs at a polling booth in Bengaluru. Goes to show how important it is to have voting centers which inclusive for the elderly and the disabled.
NA Haris’ name was mentioned in headlines earlier this year after his son Mohammed Nalapad was accused of thrashing an injured man at an upmarket restaurant in Bengaluru. NA Haris is contesting from Shanthinagar constituency in central Bengaluru.
"The work I have done for my constoentcy talks for everything. I am the most accessible in the city. People know I’m the best. I don’t think there is any issue," NA Harris told NDTV.There will be 10,500 police personnel deployed in Bengaluru city limits during the voting hours today. In addition, there will be staff from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and other units.Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who voted at a polling booth in Hassan’s Holenarasipura, was accused by the Congress that his party Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) is the BJP’s Team B. PM Narendra Modi, however, rebutting the Congress’s allegations."It is the Congress that is secretly working with them and the two will align after the elections," PM Modi said during a rally. Mr Gowda, however, has clarified that he will not allow any alliance with the BJP. In a warning to his son, the JD(S) chief said that he will "disown" his son HD Kumaraswamy if he decides to align with the BJP. "We vote everytime. Have been voting here (this constituency) for over 50 years now. We have a good chance to form the government this time. The result will be known in a few days. Our party (JDS) will do well," he said this morning.
courtesy: NDTV