‘Dear Karnataka, please think and vote wisely’

As the high-pitched campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections came to an end on Thursday, now the focus has been shifted to voters, and rightly so.

Bengaluru, May 11: As the high-pitched campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections came to an end on Thursday, now the focus has been shifted to voters, and rightly so.

The voting will start in a few hours from now in the southern state. From the Election Commission to influential people, all are asking everyone to come out and vote and that too "sensibly".

The polling for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly is set to take place on Saturday (May 12). The results of the all-important elections will be declared on May 15.

In a video message to voters, actor-turned-activist Prakash Raj asked "Dear Karnataka, to think and vote wisely".

"Dear Karnataka..The ones we VOTE.. are the ones who will take policy decisions tomorrow ..which will effect every second of our life .. please think n VOTE wisely ..it's your responsibility to ensure ..a vibrant..inclusive..futuristic INDIA..keep #justasking yourself too," tweeted Raj, who has been regularly questioning the Narendra Modi government on various issues.

Dear Karnataka..The ones we VOTE.. are the ones who will take policy decisions tomorrow ..which will effect every second of our life .. please think n VOTE wisely ..it’s your responsibility to ensure ..a vibrant..inclusive..futuristic INDIA..keep #justasking yourself too .. pic.twitter.com/gvK4ob8eUq

— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) May 11, 2018

"You have seen THEM all ...you have heard THEM all.. now it's YOUR turn to speak. Please VOTE .. think of development..think of harmony .. think of celebrating inclusive INDIA .. it's YOUR responsibility now.. keep #justasking yourself too," he added.

you have seen THEM all ...you have heard THEM all.. now it’s YOUR turn to speak. Please VOTE .. think of development..think of harmony .. think of celebrating inclusive INDIA .. it’s YOUR responsibility now.. keep #justasking yourself too .😀😀 pic.twitter.com/APeCU2g9Ln

— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) May 10, 2018

In fact, "Dear Karnataka" was trending on Twitter on Friday morning. Tweets under "Dear Karnataka" mostly focused on the rivalry between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in Karnataka. While a few tweets were in support of the BJP, the others mostly asked to vote for the Congress.

Dear Karnataka voters,
Make this election an unforgettable 'treat' for Modi, who cheated people of India with flood of lies.#BJP4BetterKarnataka pic.twitter.com/PT5rlnksaa

— Sujesh (@Sujesh_Knr) May 9, 2018

Dear Karnataka remember Joint Election campaigning by Pakistan & Congress in Karnatka pic.twitter.com/pVUNIWjg2b#MyVoteForChange

— कट्टर_हिन्दू गब्बर सिंह 🇮🇳 (@THEGabbar_Singh) May 11, 2018

Along with "Dear Karnataka", another hashtag--#MyVoteForChange--was trending on Twitter on Friday. Under the #MYVoteForChange hashtag most of the tweets were pro-BJP asking the voters to defeat the incumbent Congress government in the state.

Dear Kannadigas,

- Let us reject the "Hand" that forced Our Annadaatas to commit suicide.

- Let us remove the "Hand" that didn't prevent murder of 358 Dalits.

- Let us weed out the "Hand" that served biryani to Jihadis who brutally murdered Hindu Karyakartas.#MyVoteForChange

— C.T.Ravi (@CTRavi_BJP) May 11, 2018

#MyVoteForChange

Humble request all eligible voters in Karnataka to use their constitutional "Right to Vote" to elect their next government (BJP). Another Saturday weekend will come but 12-May-2018 will be only once.

— Partha Ramanujachary (@rspchary) May 11, 2018

Over the last few weeks, the southern state saw a bevy of top national leaders aggressively campaigning in the state. On the last day of the campaign, top leaders of the BJP and the Congress, including PM Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, made a last-gasp effort to sway the voters in a likely cliffhanger.

The campaign caught everyone's attention as leaders shunned away from raising the real issues and instead focused on personal attacks and communalism, some of Indian politicians' favourite subjects to divert the attention of voters.