Karnataka may record highest voter turnout in 34 years

A voter turnout of 72.67 per cent was recorded in the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday. This is the second highest voter turnout in Karnataka in the last six elections since 1989.

The voter turnout is likely to be revised later today by the Election Commission and the figure may increase after that exercise.

Possibly, 2023 Karnataka Assembly election may record the highest voter turnout so far in the last 34 years. While the BJP may claim that the high voter turnout is in their favour, the Congress will say otherwise.

Out of the seven Karnataka Assembly elections held till date, the highest voter turnout was recorded in the 2018 elections, which stood at 72.36 percent. In 2013 polls, it was recorded at 71.45 percent.

The state witnessed a voter turnout of 69 percent in both the 1989 and 1994 elections, followed by 68 percent in 1999. The lowest voter turnout was recorded in the 2004 and 2008 Assembly polls, which were 65 percent each.

According to the latest voting data, Melukote assembly segment in Mandya recorded a polling percentage of 90.93 per cent while the CV Raman Nagar constituency in Bengaluru recorded only 47.43 per cent.

Ramanagara in the Old Mysuru region recorded the highest turnout of 78.22 per cent, while the lowest polling was from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South limits (parts of Bengaluru city) at 48.63 per cent, election officials said.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru has registered a voter turnout of 54.53 per cent.At 63.75 per cent, Yeshwanthapura has registered the highest voting percentage among the 28 constituencies in Bengaluru (rural and urban). It is followed by Anekal (61.97 per cent), Yelahanka (60.59 per cent), Chickpet (57.74 per cent) and Padmanabanagar (57.22 per cent), according to the Election Commission data.

At 46.96 per cent, CV Raman Nagar recorded the lowest voter turnout in the 28 Assembly seats in Bengaluru. It is followed by Bommanahalli (47.35 per cent), BTM Layout (48.23 per cent), Vijayanagar (48.72 per cent) and Dasarahalli (49.47 per cent).

The overall voting percentage in Bengaluru is much lesser compared to the voting percentage of Karnataka where the state has recorded about 70 per cent.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, the total voter turnout in Bengaluru was 55 per cent. However, it was 62.03 per cent in 2013.

A total of 5.31 crore electors were eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray. While the BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the state has never voted the incumbent party to power, the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) will emerge as a kingmaker or a king by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.