With Karnataka Assembly polls being held on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to vote in large numbers, particularly the youth as well as first time voters.
A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections. As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote today in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes. The polling parties were provided with all the materials including EVM and VVPAT machines at the mustering centres in all the 224 Assembly Constituencies. The opinion polls showed there is a direct fight between Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in the southern state.
Meanwhile, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the people of Karnataka have decided that they shall choose a progressive, transparent & welfare-oriented government.
"Today, it is time vote in large numbers. We welcome our first time voters to participate in this democratic process for a better future," he tweeted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asked voters to vote for good governance in Karnataka.
"On voting day, I urge our sisters and brothers of Karnataka to come out in large numbers to vote for good governance, development and prosperity in the state. Your one vote can ensure a pro-people and pro-progress govt that will continue to take the state to newer heights," he said in a tweet.
The ruling BJP, the Congress, and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular) are competing for 224 seats in what is primarily being viewed as a three-cornered contest. During the day-long exercise, the electoral fates of high-profile figures like Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Congress veterans Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, among others will be sealed during the day-long exercise.
On May 13, the polled votes will be counted. The voting, which began at 7 a.m. under tight security, will continue until 6 p.m.
The Congress is attempting to wrest power in order to provide the party with the much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 parliamentary elections, while the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year jinx and tighten the grip on its southern stronghold. The State has never voted for the incumbent party to power since 1985.
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