Karnataka has witnessed an all time high of 73.07 per cent in the Karnataka assembly elections, polling for which ended on Saturday. Exit polls soon after the elections got over has predicted a hung assembly giving the BJP 98 seats, the Congress 88 seats, the JD (S) 33 seats.  The counting for Satuday's polling will be held on May 15. 

The polling percentage has gone up tremendously in the districts and has bettered the post-emergency elections (1977) which saw 71.9 per cent and in 2013 elections state polled 71.45 per cent.

People of Karnataka especially in the districts have sent loud and clear message except the voters of Bengaluru. Majority of the 30 districts saw 70 to 75 per cent polling, while it was below 50 per cent in Bengaluru north district. Bengaluru south district saw around 80 per cent polling. Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha told reporters here that voter turnout in rural Karnataka was higher than the urban areas of the State. While all the districts in and around Bengaluru city recorded a polling of less that 50 per cent, districts such as Bengaluru Rural, Chitradurga, Haveri, Udupi, Tungur, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Mandya recorded more than 70 per cent turnout.

 

 

Setting a record, the panel has seized money, liquor and freebies worth ₹ 186 crore during the campaign and on the polling day. The officials said, the previous record was ₹ 150 crore seizure from Uttar Pradesh during the last Assembly poll.

 

The officials said that complaints against EVMs were reported from only one booth. Mismatch between the VVPAT slip and the EVM ballot was observed in the polling station. “The Observer, BEL engineers have visited the polling station and found that the machine was faulty and we have recommended a repoll,” the officlas said. 57,786 VVPATs were also used in the 222 constituencies where elections were held.

 

According to the Commission, the State has a total of 5,07,18,452 voters, including 27,908 service electors. 2,622 candidates contested and in which there are 217 female candidates. Poll was held in 57,416 (excluding 592 polling stations in Jayanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar) polling stations. “In this phase 99.69 per cent electors were issued votiers’ cards and 93.22 per cent electors were issued photo voter slips,” the panel said. The panel said it set 600 pink polling stations, where all poll personnel were women and 26 stations fully manned by persons with disabilities and 28 ethnic polling stations as model polling stations.

 

Congratulating the voters, the panel thanked celebrities such as CNR Rao, Rahul Dravid and Chandrashekhar Kambar and others who helped the panel to create awareness among voters. “Campaign materials of video films, posters and banners along with icons were effectively used in cinema halls, malls, print, electronic and social medias to create awareness of the theme and about the poll date and timings,” it said.

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