Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE: 37.25% Votes Polled So Far; Congress' DK Drives Auto to Polling Booth

Violent incidents were reported from at least three places during polling to the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday, police sources said.

At Masabinal village in Basavana Bagewadi taluk of Vijayapura district, several angry villagers destroyed some electronic voting machines, VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines and damaged the vehicles of polling officers, after “rumours” that the officials were “changing” the EVMs and VVPATs.

In Padmanabhanagar constituency in Bengaluru, some youth armed with sticks attacked their political rivals in a polling booth at Papaiah Garden. They went on a rampage in which a few women who were standing in queue to vote sustained injuries, the sources said.

At Sanjeevarayanakote in Ballari district, some Congress and the BJP workers came to blows

“It’s a small village. All round development has taken place. Credit should go to HD Revanna, who represents this constituency,” says JD(S) chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda after casting his vote at his native village Haradanahalli in Hassan district.

A complaint and a counter-complaint have been lodged at the Bajpe police station here after Congress workers alleged that the supporters of Mangaluru North Janata Dal (Secular) candidate B A Mohiuddin Bava assaulted them on Tuesday night.

Two Congress workers who were injured in the scuffle, Nizam and Hasher, have been admitted to a private hospital.

Bava had switched over to JD(S) recently after he was denied a Congress ticket. Sources said the incident occurred when Congress workers intercepted a car alleging that the JD(S) candidate had brought money in a car to distribute to voters, which led to an altercation between the two groups.

A few moments after voting, a person died in a polling booth at Chikole village of Belur taluk in Hasan district. The deceased person has been identified as 49-year-old Jayanna.

Jayanna Sarathi, who had come to the polling booth to cast his vote, exercised his right by standing in the queue. But after coming out of the polling station, he suddenly collapsed and died. As per reports, Jayanna died of a heart attack.

Karnataka Congress DK Shivakumar on Wednesday dismissed a post-poll alliance with Janata Dal (Secular) JD(S) expressing confidence that his party will get an absolute majority in the 224-seat assembly.

“Here the issue is price rise, corruption, good governance and development. There are no chances of alliance with JD(S). We will form the government on our own,” Shivakumar told reporters after casting his vote here in elections to Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

JD(S) chief and former Prime Minister HD Devegowda and his wife Chennamma cast their vote for Karnataka Elections 2023, at a polling booth in Hassan.

“Issues are individuals and one should keep their issues in mind and vote accordingly. I’ve not come here as a celebrity, I’ve come here as an Indian and it’s my responsibility,” says Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep after casting his vote in Bengaluru.

Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Wednesday alleged that the ruling BJP wants to win the Assembly election with “money power” as they “do not have any developmental works to showcase” to the people.

He also charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with being silent on price rise, unemployment and corruption in the state during his series of public meetings while campaigning for the elections taking place today. READ MORE

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that Congress displayed a ‘bewakoofi ka udaharan [example of stupidy] by mentioning ‘Bajrang Bali’ in its manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly election 2023.

Congress Karnataka election manifesto has been in the eye of the storm for its proposal to impose a ‘ban’ on individuals and organisations like “Bajrang Dal and PFI” or others “promoting enmity or hatred”. READ MORE

Karnataka minister and BJP candidate from Tiptur assembly constituency, BC Nagesh and his family cast their votes in Tipatur.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman, who cast her vote for Karnataka Assembly polls on Wednesday, expressed confidence about BJP coming back to power in the state with full majority and criticised the Congress over inflation during UPA rule.

On the issue of rising inflation, the Union minister said she and the BJP government stand with the people and want the prices to come down. Contending that the BJP government is making efforts to control price rise, she hit out at the Congress saying that it doesn’t have any right to criticise the Centre on the issue as inflation was constantly high during its tenure.

“You are watching for yourself the situation here, senior citizens, youth, women have come with families and are peacefully standing in queues to cast their votes, and looking at the way in which they interacted with me it is clear to me that BJP will come back victorious with full majority,” Sitharaman told reporters after voting.

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and his wife Radhabai Kharge cast their votes at a polling booth in Kalaburagi.

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar drove an auto in his Kanakpura Constituency.

“Congress party will win the election with a thumping majority…We will get more than 130-135 seats,” said Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge.

From chief minister Basvaraj Bommai visiting Anjaneya Temple with his son and daughter to spotting Bengaluru civic body commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, top BJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and B S Yediyurappa at polling booths — it’s an action-packed morning in Karnataka as the state votes amid tight security.

The voting which began at 7 am will go on till 6 in the evening, following which pollsters like Axis My India, CVoter, Lokniti-CSDS, and Today’s Chanakya will release their exit poll results. READ MORE

A newlywed bride and groom along with their family cast their votes for Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 at a polling booth in Mysuru.

Kannada actor Daali Dhananjaya and his family cast their votes in Kalenahalli Village of Arsikere.

Actor Rishab Shetty arrives at a polling booth in Udupi to cast his vote for Karnataka Assembly Election 2023.