Karnataka sees 52.18% voter turn out till 3 pm, small dip from last assembly polls

Karnataka reported 52.18 percent voter turnout at 3 pm on Wednesday, following a month-long, fiercely contested election. The numbers at 3 pm presented showed an increase in voter turnout compared to the last election. In 2018, at 3 pm, only 56 per cent of voter turnout was reported.

Voting is currently underway in around 60,000 polling stations across the state.

Photo Credit: People wait in queues outside a polling booth to cast their votes for the Karnataka Assembly elections. PTI Photo

Polling began at 7am for the state's single-phase assembly election on Wednesday.

According to the Election Commission of India (EC), the Kampli region in the state topped the chart in the first four hours with a voter turnout of nearly 50 per cent.

At many polling stations in Bengaluru, a decent number of voters, particularly senior citizens and first-time voters, enthusiastically stood in queues in the early hours of polling.

As per EC records, BBMP Central consists of Chamarajpet (39.77 per cent), Chickpet (42.49 per cent), Gandhi Nagar (41.70 per cent), Rajaji Nagar (42.93 per cent), Rajareshwari Nagar (40.50 per cent), Shanti Nagar (37.48 per cent) and Shivaji Nagar (40.29 per cent).

BBMP North consists of CV Raman Nagar (32.10 per cent), Hebbal (42.20 per cent), KR Pura (41.04 per cent) Mahalakshmi layout (45.02 per cent), Malleswaram (43.67 per cent), Pulakeshi Nagar (40.42 per cent) and Sarvagnananagar (43.21 per cent).

BBMP South includes BTM Layout (38.67 per cent), Basavangudi (44.01 per cent), Bommanahalli (38.15 per cent), Govindarajanagar (41.05 per cent), Jayanagar (44.75 per cent), Padmanabhanagar (41.39%), Vijayanagar (37.21%)

Bengaluru Urban comprises Anekal (42.48 per cent), Bengaluru South (37.10 per cent), Byatarayanapura (41.45%), Dasarahalli (39.53 per cent), Mahadevapura (40.15 per cent), Yelahanka (46.10 per cent), Yeshwanthpura (47.80 per cent).

There are 224 constituencies in Karnataka and the polling will be conducted in a single phase. The EC has already declared a holiday and a huge voter turnout is expected in this assembly election.

During the 2018 Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 104 seats, making them the largest party but still falling short of the majority mark of 111. Following the election, BS Yediyurappa of the BJP became the chief minister but resigned before a trust vote on May 23.

Subsequently, a coalition government led by JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy, with the support of the Congress, governed the state for 14 months. However, in July 2019, the government collapsed after several MLAs from the coalition parties defected to the BJP. Yediyurappa then took oath as the chief minister once again but resigned on July 26, 2021. The current chief minister of Karnataka is Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP, who assumed office on July 28, 2021.