Over 22 per cent polling in 14 LS seats in Karnataka till 11 am
Bengaluru (PTI): An estimated 22.34 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am during the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 14 constituencies in Karnataka on Friday.
Long queues were seen at many polling booths, as people, especially senior citizens and morning walkers, came out to vote during the early hours of the voting, which began at 7 am.
According to election officials, the voter percentage till 11 am was about 22.34 per cent.
Out of 14 segments that are going to polls today, highest turnout of 30.98 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur 29.03 per cent, and the least 19.21 per cent in Bangalore Central.
The turnout was 19.81 per cent in Bangalore South, and 19.78 per cent in Bangalore North.
In the first phase, the Congress is contesting in all 14 seats, BJP has fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance in (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.
Besides the three, the segments where elections are being held on Friday are: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South and Chikkballapur.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state back then, had secured just one seat each in these 14 segments. The BJP had won in 11 and ensured the victory of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda along with wife Chennamma exercised their franchise at Paduvalahippe village in Hassan district, while his son and former CM H D Kumaraswamy along with wife Anitha and son Nikhil cast vote at Kethaganahalli in Ramanagara district.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah voted at his native village Siddaramanahundi in Mysuru district.
RSS Sarakaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale cast his ballot at Sheshadripuram in Bengaluru.
Rajya Sabha member and 'Dharmadhikari' of the Dharmasthala, Veerendra Heggade, Vishwaprasanna Teertha Swamiji of the Pejavara Mutt, Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji of Sri Suttur Math,and Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji of Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math, were among the early voters.
Bangalore South MP and candidate Tejasvi Surya, Hassan candidate and MP Prajwal Revanna, also several film personalities including actor Ravichandran, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, Duniya Vijay and Dhananjay also exercised their democratic right.
According to officials, 101-year-old Narayana Rao and his wife Lakshmi, aged 92, voted in Bengaluru's Padmanabhanagar.
In separate incidents, two brides -- one each from Chikkamagaluru and Madikeri -- dressed in their wedding attire exercised her franchise before reaching the marriage venue in the morning. A groom cast his vote in Chamarajanagar district before rushing to tie the nuptial knot.
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AI reshaping music, filmmaking in Kannada cinema
Bengaluru: Artificial Intelligence is slowly changing the way music and creativity are produced in the Kannada film industry, raising concerns among musicians, singers and technicians, The New Indian Express reported on Sunday.
Music composer, actor and director V Manohar reportedly said, AI is being used to write lyrics, especially in low-budget movies. Once lyrics are generated, AI can suggest thousands of tunes. It even asks whether the voice should be male or female. With one click, a complete song is ready.
“If this continues, singers and musicians will have less or no work in the coming days. But it may not succeed either. A few years ago, dubbing was allowed and people could watch movies in any language they preferred. But not many took to it as they wanted to watch a movie in the original,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
According to the report, Filmmaker Avinash U Shetty, a National Award winner, said resistance to new technology is not new. Those who resisted shifting from analogue to digital films years ago have now embraced it. The industry is now using only 10% of the AI potential. If it is scaled up, it can do unimaginable things. What we consider bad now, may not be after five years.
Highlighting the cost advantage, Sangamesh, an independent creator reportedly said, he made a three-minute video using AI for just Rs 4,500. Earlier, the same work would have cost nearly Rs 15 lakh. I finished the entire project in three days. The only expense was the AI software subscription, he said.
These days, it has become difficult to differentiate between the real and AI. AI is creating artistes. Scenes like war, big fights and dance can be shot with a lesser number of artistes. Then with the aid of visual effects and AI, you can achieve what you have in mind, he said.
Actor-director D P Raghuram felt that while AI has made an impact on music, it lacks emotional depth. Cinema earlier involved hard work and strong emotional connections. AI can help improve our work, but creativity should remain human, he reportedly said.
As per the report, earlier, Kannada cinema employed hundreds of junior artistes, who not only earned wages but also shared meals on sets and formed lasting bonds with stars like Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh. Today, filmmakers fear that increasing dependence on AI could reduce such human connections, turning creativity into just another automated process.
