14 seats in Karnataka record 68.56% polling in Lok Sabha polls
The Lok Sabha elections is a litmus test for the ruling coalition of Congress- Janata Dal (Secular) in the state as it could be deciding factor for the stability of the state government.
More so for the JD(S) with former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his two grandsons contesting the elections.
Polling in the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka went off peacefully barring a few minor incidents of clashes between supporters of Congress-JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumarswamy and independent candidate actor Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya.
The state recorded over 68.56%. It was a high turnout by Karnataka’s standards. But Bengaluru was a disappointment which barely recorded 50% votes.
It’s a high-powered battle where veterans like Congress Verappa Moily and KH Muniyappa, young candidate Tejaswi Surya, Chief Minister’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, independent candidates and actors Prakash Raj and Sumalatha Ambareesh contested.
With prominent personalities like cricketer Anil Kumble, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, sandalwoods actors among others cast vote in the early hours and voters taking note of it on social media, officials expected the turnout to be good in the state, barring Bengaluru.
While the BJP campaigned based on its nationalist agenda, Congress-JD(S) campaigned against the Modi government and its policies.
Plaint against Tejasvi Surya for online campaign during polls
In Bengaluru, election commission officials filed a complaint with the local police against BJP’s Bangalore South candidate Tejasvi Surya for campaigning on social media when election is underway.
Soon after voting, Surya shot a video outside the polling booth appealing voters to vote for BJP and elect Narendra Modi led government again. He further asked the party workers not to rest until the poll ends.
Cash was at play at many places during the election. While cash distribution was reported on the polling day in Bengaluru North constituency where Congress’s Krishna Byre Gowda contest against BJP’s Sadananda Gowda, the election commission seized 16.36 crores cumulatively, in the last one month to April 17.
Soon after casting vote, Deve Gowda defended the dynasty politics and expressed confidence that people of Karnataka would support.
Meanwhile, while elections was underway in South, in a rally in North Karnataka which goes to polls on April 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Kumaraswamy a weak CM and went on to take dig about him emotional outburst in rallies.
“The chief minister says only those who are hungry go to armed forces. This family should be thrown out from the public life. They know their days are numbered and therefore they are looting the state,” he said.
Reacting to it, Kumaraswamy said the PM was playing with emotions in the name of religion and terrorism.
The Chief Minister was confident of willing 10-12 seats in the 14 constituencies that went to polls on Thursday.