Karnataka Election 2018: Siddaramaiah attacked BS Yeddyurappa before he went out to vote.
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:
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.
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).
Union Minister Ananth Kumar with his family show their inked fingers after casting their vote for the Karnataka assembly election in Bengaluru on Saturday.
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.
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.
Read: BS Yeddyurappa "Mentally Disturbed", Says Siddaramaiah, On Swearing-In CommentKarnataka 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.
Rain lashed parts of Karnataka's Hubli district affecting voting. Voters take shelter at polling station 185.
Siddaramaiah to NDTV:
- Yedyurappa is mentally challenged
- He is taking about oath when there is still voting on
- Narendra Modi is losing so he is going to temples
- I will win from both seats
- We will form government
450 "pink booths" called 'Sakhi' have been set up. These polling booths are entirely managed by women, right from the returning officer to the security personnel, the sources said, according to news agency PTI.
Karnataka Assembly Election 2018. Your Vote Matters.
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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah casts his vote in Varuna.
BS Yeddyurappa "Mentally Disturbed", Says Siddaramaiah, On Swearing-In CommentKarnataka 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.
D Roopa, the senior Karnataka police officer best known for exposing the rot in Bengaluru's central jail, posted this picture after voting at Carmel school Padmanabhnagar in Bengaluru.
36.5 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm
Karnataka To Test Rahul Gandhi's Leadership, PM's 2019 Pitch: 10 FactsA closely-fought election in Karnataka will decide the future of the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress as it fights an aggressive campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wrest another big opposition-ruled state and secure a beachhead in the south ahead of his re-election bid in 2019. It is the last major state held by the Congress under Rahul Gandhi, whose leadership will be tested for the first time since he took charge as party chief in December. In the first four hours of polling, around 24 per cent of the state's five crore electors have voted. A party needs 113 seats for a majority in 224-member Karnataka assembly. Predictions of a tight battle suggest that the Janata Dal Secular, a regional party, may emerge kingmaker. In an acrimonious campaign, PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi targeted each other in rival rallies. The Karnataka election results on Tuesday will be a weather vane ahead of more state elections later this year and the national polls.
The Election Commission will hold a press conference at 6:30 pm.
Siddaramaiah's salvo at Yeddyurappa before he went out to vote:
- Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed (for making claims that he will be sworn in on May 17). He (Yeddyurappa) thinks this is a strategy, but in reality he is a mentally disturbed man.
- Congress party will get a clear majority, there is no doubt about that, there is no confusion about that. We will form the government again. We are very confident of a win.
Krishna Chaitanya, 35, was among the first to raise the issue of malfunctioning at a polling booth in Bengaluru's Hebbal. He says he chose one candidate but the VVPAT reflected another option, instead of his choice.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is about to reach the polling booth in Varuna to cast his vote. Security has been heightened near the polling booth.
Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Matha casts his vote in Tumakuru.
Voting was delayed for two hours at a polling booth in Banahatti, allegedly because the voting machine was faulty.
24 per cent voter turnout in Karnataka till 11 am.
Sri Sri Ravishankar after casting in vote in Bengaluru.
Congress spokesperson
Brijesh Kalappa, on Twitter, has alleged that at a polling booth in Bengaluru's RMV II Stage area, "any button pressed registers a vote ONLY to kiwi mele Kamala i.e Kamal ke phool." He says angry voters are returning without casting their vote.
"There are 5 booths opposite my Parent's apartment at RMV II Stage, Bengaluru. In the 2nd booth, any button pressed registers a vote ONLY to kiwi mele Kamala i.e Kamal ke phool. Angry voters are returning without casting their vote," he tweeted.
The scion of the Mysore royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, after voting in Mysuru. The 26-year-old is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts in the US. Two years ago anointed as the new Maharaja of Mysore, titular head of the over 600-year-old Wadiyar dynasty.
The Kumbles have voted. Have you?
Scenes from polling booths in Karnataka.
10.6 per cent voter turnout till 9 am.
Cricketer Anil Kumble tweeted this photo from a polling booth in Bengaluru.
Amidst the polling for the Karnataka Assembly, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, met Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Jayanagar. Like Siddaramaiah, Mr Kumaraswamy is contesting from two constituencies - Ramanagara and Channapatna.
Karnataka Election: During the first hour of voting, there were reports of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) malfunctioning in some booths; power crisis in a polling station in Rajajinagar seat; voters names missing at few booths and women clad in
burqa made to reveal their faces at a Belagavi polling booth -- that led to a few hiccups.
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who voted at a polling booth in Hassan's Holenarasipura, was accused by the Congress that his party
Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) is the BJP's Team B. PM Narendra Modi, however, rebutting the Congress's allegations."It is the Congress that is secretly working with them and the two will align after the elections," PM Modi said during a rally. Mr Gowda, however, has clarified that he will not allow any alliance with the BJP. In a warning to his son, the JD(S) chief said that he will "disown" his son HD Kumaraswamy if he decides to align with the BJP. "We vote everytime. Have been voting here (this constituency) for over 50 years now. We have a good chance to form the government this time. The result will be known in a few days. Our party (JDS) will do well," he said this morning.
Congress legislator NA Haris helping his aged mother to climb the stairs at a polling booth in Bengaluru. Goes to show how important it is to have voting centers which inclusive for the elderly and the disabled.
NA Haris' name was mentioned in headlines earlier this year after his son Mohammed Nalapad was accused of
thrashing an injured man at an upmarket restaurant in Bengaluru. NA Haris is contesting from Shanthinagar constituency in central Bengaluru.
"The work I have done for my constoentcy talks for everything. I am the most accessible in the city. People know I'm the best. I don't think there is any issue," NA Harris told NDTV.
According to a report by Association for Democratic Reform (ADR), the top 5 richest candidates in the Karnataka election belong to the Congress. Priyakrishna, candidate from Govindarajanagar, tops the list and has total assets worth Rs. 910 crore. Of these, around Rs. 800 crore is movable asset, while around Rs. 95 crore is immovable asset. He is followed by N Nagaraju, who is contesting from Hosakote, and has assets worth Rs. 470 crore.
JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda votes in Hassan.
"Today People of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history & show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful & compassionate politics & governance. I thank them for their support & wish them well," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweets.
Bengaluru resident Jagdeesh L Singh is a happy citizen after casting his vote in Shantinagar.
BJP's B Sriramalu performed 'gau pooja' (cow worship) before casting his vote in Ballari. He is taking on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Badami.
Siddaramaiah Son's Contesting From Father's Village In Varuna
Tucked away in Mysuru district in the constituency of Varuna, is the little village of Siddaramanahundi. It has a sizeable proportion of Kurubas - and one among them is the chief minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah. His younger son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah is contesting from safe seat Varuna. Siddaramanahundi, Siddaramiah's home village, hopes that one of their own becomes the Chief Minister of the state, again.
Large parts of Karnataka could continue to have light to moderate rainfall accompanied by gusty winds, the weather department has said in its forecast for the state. Officials suggest it would be best for the state's five crore voters to get out early.
Flying squads have been set up to ensure that the candidates don't cross the line. The authorities have made cash seizure of almost Rs 13 crore since Karnataka election was announced in April. Items worth another Rs 19 crore were seized including clothes, cookers, mixer grinders, sewing machines, caps - and a whopping 44 kg of gold ornaments.
By projecting 75-year-old BS Yeddyurappa as the chief ministerial face, the BJP to trying hard to reclaim the state it ruled from 2008 to 2013. Those five years saw at least three BJP chief ministers, with Yeddyurappa himself having to step down after allegations of corruption.
Here is what Mr Yeddyurappa had to say this morning:
I have cast my vote. I will win with a margin of over 50,000 votes. There is massive support for the BJP. We will win 145-150 seats, and will form the government with a clear majority. I will fly to Delhi on May 15 once the results are announced and meet Prime Minister Modi. I will invite him and others for the swearing in ceremony which is going to happen most likely on the May 17.
A glitch in the Electronic Voting Machines in Hubbali is being reported by news agency ANI.
A woman waits in queue at a polling booth in BTM constituency, with her dog in tow.
Seeking divine intervention. BS Yeddyurappa has won the Shikaripura seat in Shivamogga district of Karnataka seven of the eight times since he first contested there 35 years ago. The only time he lost the constituency to the Congress was in 1999.
NDTV's Maya Sharma flaunts her inked finger after casting her vote in Bengaluru.
BS Yeddyurappa: People are fed up with the Siddaramaiah government. I urge the people to come out and vote for BJP. I assure the people of Karnataka that I'm going to give good governance.
Early voters have started queuing up outside a polling booth in Puttur.
Union Minister, BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda casts his vote in Puttur.
Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018: BS Yeddyurappa was seen offering his prayers and performing a
puja before stepping out to the polling booth.
BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa arrives at a polling booth in Shikaripura to vote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged voters in Karnataka to come out in large numbers and cast their votes. PM Modi tweeted, "Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation."
High security in place ahead of Karnataka Elections 2018
There will be 10,500 police personnel deployed in Bengaluru city limits during the voting hours today. In addition, there will be staff from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and other units.
Here's what is at stake in Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018:
The BJP is contesting in 223 of the 224 seats, the Congress in 221. The JD(S)-BSP combine is contesting in 218 seats. 180 settling legislators are contesting. 1,142 Independents too are contesting in today's elections.