Today, violent incidents have taken place at three different polling stations during the Karnataka assembly elections. In Basavana Bagewadi taluk of Vijayapura district, some people vandalized EVMs and VVPAT machines, and also damaged the vehicles of polling officials. This was due to rumors that officials were tampering with the voting process by changing the machines.
At Papaya Garden polling booth in Padmanabha assembly, some youths armed with sticks attacked their opponents. Some women who came to vote were also injured in this attack. The third incident took place at Sanjeevarayanakote in Ballari district, where a scuffle broke out between Congress and BJP workers.
Till now about 52 % of the total voters have casted thier vote by 3 pm.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, appealed to the people of Karnataka, especially the youth and first-time voters, to vote in large numbers. Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge has claimed that voting has been stopped at a polling booth in Chamanur village of Chittapur assembly, and the presiding officer is allegedly instigating people to vote for the BJP. BJP MLA from Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya made a controversial statement, saying that Karnataka, the birthplace of Bajrang Bali, will answer all the questions on May 13.
High voter turnout expected in K'taka Assembly polls
The Karnataka assembly elections have been a challenge for political parties due to three factors. Firstly, there has been a hung assembly three times in the last five elections, and no party is revealing its cards on the alliance. Secondly, the Lingayat-Vokkaliga community, which influences a significant number of seats, will decide the result. Finally, smaller parties and independents pose a challenge, and their impact on the result cannot be ignored.
There are 5.31 crore voters and 2615 candidates in the state, and the contest is primarily between the BJP, Congress, and JDS. The results will be announced on May 13.