Voter turnout picks up momentum in Karnataka Assembly polls, crosses 50 per cent mark
Bengaluru (PTI): Voter turnout picked up momentum and crossed the 50 per cent mark by 3 pm on Wednesday, in polling to elect representatives to the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
The total voter turnout across the state stood at 52.18 per cent, with three more hours left for polling to end at 6 pm.
In the eight hours of voting, which began at 7 am, Ramanagara recorded the highest turnout of 63.36 per cent, while the the lowest polling was seen in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South limits (parts of Bengaluru city) at 40.28 per cent, election officials said.
The State is mainly witnessing a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular).
A total of 5.31 crore electors are eligible to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations across the state, where 2,615 candidates are in the fray.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers and enrich the "festival of democracy".
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi too appealed to the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers to build a progressive and a "40-per-cent-commission-free" state.
Villagers of Masabinal in Vijayapura district stopped a poll duty vehicle carrying electronic voting machines (EVMs), manhandled an officer and damaged control and ballot units on Wednesday following which 23 persons were arrested, the Election Commission said.
The villagers stopped a sector officer's vehicle which was carrying reserved EVMs and damaged two control and ballot units each and three VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines, the EC said in a statement.
"Sector officer was manhandled, 23 people arrested", the EC said, adding that top district officials rushed to the village, which comes under Basavana Bagewadi Assembly segment.
Police sources said the villagers' "action" came after "rumours" that officials were "changing" the EVMs and VVPATs.
Meanwhile, in Padmanabhanagar constituency here, 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 standing in queue to vote sustained injuries, the sources said.
In another incident at Sanjeevarayanakote in Ballari district, some Congress and BJP workers came to blows.
Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 72.36 per cent in the 2018 Assembly polls.
The BJP had then emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats, followed by Congress with 80 seats and JD(S) 37. There was also one independent member, while the BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) got one legislator each elected.
With no party getting a clear majority at the time and as Congress and JD(S) were trying to forge an alliance, B S Yediyurappa of the BJP, which was the single largest party, staked a claim and formed the government. However, the government was dissolved within three days, ahead of a trust vote, as Yediyurappa was unable to muster the numbers.
Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government with H D Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister, but the wobbly dispensation collapsed in 14 months, as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition. They defected to the BJP and facilitated the party's return to power. In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling party won 12 out of 15 seats.
In the outgoing Assembly, the ruling BJP has 116 MLAs, followed by the Congress 69, JD(S) 29, BSP one, independents two, speaker one and vacant six (following deaths and resignations to join other parties ahead of the polls).
While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year jinx -- the state has never voted back the incumbent party to power since 1985 -- and retain its southern citadel, the Congress is seeking to wrest power to give the party much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Also what needs to be watched out for is whether the JD(S) would emerge as "kingmaker" or "king", by holding the key to government formation in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.
In a bid to check apathy among voters, the Election Commission decided to hold polling in the middle of the week to prevent people planning an outing by clubbing the poll-day holiday with the weekend break.
The votes will be counted on May 13.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
New Zealand wins the 3rd ODI against Pakistan by 43 runs and sweeps the series
Mount Maunganui (New Zealand), Apr 5 (AP): Pakistan ended a disappointing tour of New Zealand on another somber note Saturday, losing the third one-day international by 43 runs.
While Pakistan made a bold effort to chase down New Zealand's total of 264-8, it fell short again and was dismissed for 221 in a match reduced by a wet outfield to 42 overs per side.
New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears took 5-34, his second five-wicket total in consecutive matches.
Pakistan made a strong start to its chase despite a shocking injury to opener Imam-ul-Haq, who retired hurt in the third over after being struck in the head by a throw at the stumps.
Imam was attempting a quick single when a throw to the non-striker's end lodged in the grill of his helmet. He was clearly dazed and struggled to stand steadily before being helped from the field.
Babar Azam rallied Pakistan after the incident with a half century which, with support from Abdullah Safique (33) and Mohammad Rizwan (37), helped Pakistan to 95-1 at the midpoint of its innings.
With 10 overs remaining, Pakistan was 167-4 and well in the match: New Zealand was 165-4 at the same stage. But New Zealand took 99 runs from the last 10 overs of its innings and Pakistan couldn't match that finish.
Tayyab Tahir made 33 from 31 balls but when he holed out in the 39th over with Pakistan 218-9 the chase was all but over.
Pakistan arrived in New Zealand with a new-look squad, eager to shrug off a disappointing performance at the recent Champions Trophy which it hosted and hoping to build towards next year's T20 World Cup.
But the tourists lost the five-match T20 series 4-1 and lost the first two matches of the three-match ODI series by 73 runs and 84 runs before Saturday's defeat. The Pakistan batters mostly struggled on fast and bouncy New Zealand pitches.
“Obviously it was a disappointing series for us,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said. "But if you look at the positives, Babar Azam is in very good touch. Looking at the bowling Sufiyan Muqeem was the guy.
“You have to give credit to New Zealand in all departments. They played very well for the last couple of months. They played well in Pakistan against us and they are true professionals.”
Earlier, opener Rhys Mariu and Michael Bracewell made half centuries and Daryl Mitchell passed 2,000 runs in ODIs as New Zealand batted first after losing the toss.
Mariu posted his maiden half century in his second ODI and went on to make 58 from 61 balls. Mitchell came into the match with 1,998 runs in one-day internationals with finished with 2,041 runs from 52 matches in which he averages 49.7.
Captain Bracewell finished strongly, making 59 from 40 balls.
