Bengaluru: The loudspeakers have fallen silent after the end of high-voltage electioneering in Karnataka.
Now, the people of the state are going to polls on Wednesday to elect 224 members of the legislative assembly.
The election is very important for the two national parties – the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. But there is another important player, Janata Dal (S). The voting will begin at 7am and continue till 6pm. In case of a hung assembly it may emerge as the king-maker.
There are more than 5.31 crore electors in the state. As many as 58, 545 polling stations have been set up across the state.
There are 2,615 candidates in the poll battle. Out of 2, 615 candidates are male and184 are female.
More than 11 lakh youngsters will cast their votes. The BJP as well as the Congress is trying to woo them.
The BJP’s electioneering focussed on Modi, but the Congress counted on the local leaders like former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka party president DK Shivkumar.
To woo voters Modi held six road shows and addressed 19 rallies. The Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi addressed rallies and held road shows.
Besides Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who belongs to Karnataka, also addressed rallies and held road shows.
The BJP wants to break the 38-year-old jinx and retain its southern citadel.
The Congress is keen to win the state to prove that it is the main opposition party in the country in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Another important thing to be watched is whether former prime minister HD Deve Gowda-led JD (S) manages the election. It may emerge as the king-maker as happened last year. Nevertheless, the Congress and the BJP have claimed that they would get a majority in the assembly.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for conducting the election, an official in Bengaluru said.
There are micro-observers, webcasting and CCTV to watch the polling process at the sensitive polling stations.
