Karnataka Election 2018: Siddaramaiah attacked BS Yeddyurappa before he went out to vote.
Bengaluru: Voting for the Karnataka assembly election has ended. Voter turnout of 64.5 per cent was recorded till 5 pm today, the Election Commission said. The voter turnout till 9 am was 10.6 per cent, which climbed to 64.5 per cent by 5 pm, an hour before voting ended. Over 2,600 candidates fought it out in the assembly election in the southern state, where the Congress is in power. Prominent candidates are Congress's Siddaramaiah and BJP's BS Yeddyurappa, among others.
No party has been re-elected for a straight second term in 33 years in Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress is looking to win another term, while the BJP led by BS Yeddyurappa has mounted a frontal assault to take the state from the Congress's hold.
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi ran a high-decibel campaign ahead of the election. The BJP deployed its full arsenal of "star campaigners" including over two dozen central ministers and chief ministers. The Congress also deployed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi to boost its campaign. According to the Election Commission, some five crore people were eligible to vote in the Karnataka assembly election.
Here are the Highlights on Karnataka Election 2018:
May 12, 2018 17:52 (IST)
Newly-married couple Sumalatha and Prasanna went straight to the polling booth in Kalaburagi (formerly known as Gulbarga), to vote in the Karnataka assembly election.
May 12, 2018 17:46 (IST)
Re-polling will take place in Hebbal assembly constituency's polling station number 2 after voting was stopped due to failure of an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
May 12, 2018 17:01 (IST)
Union Minister Ananth Kumar with his family show their inked fingers after casting their vote for the Karnataka assembly election in Bengaluru on Saturday.
May 12, 2018 16:56 (IST)
Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa was among the first to vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He has claimed that the BJP will secure 140-150 seats and that he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing in.
May 12, 2018 16:40 (IST)
Majority of 3,500 residents of Chittapur taluk's Tarkaspet village in Kalburagi district are boycotting Karnataka elections over their demand for panchayat facilities in their village.
Advertisement
May 12, 2018 16:34 (IST)
Read: BS Yeddyurappa "Mentally Disturbed", Says Siddaramaiah, On Swearing-In Comment Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, fighting a tough battle to retain power in the state where no party has been re-elected for a second straight term in 33 years, described his chief rival, BS Yeddyurappa, as "mentally disturbed" for predicting a BJP victory. He also said there was "no doubt" that the Congress would return to power with over 120 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly when the results were declared on Tuesday.
May 12, 2018 16:32 (IST)
Rain lashed parts of Karnataka's Hubli district affecting voting. Voters take shelter at polling station 185.
