Early hours of voting witnessed a good turnout in the bye-elections held for three Assembly constituencies in Karnataka on Wednesday.
The Election Commission of India reported a voting turnout of 10.14 per cent between 7 A.M. and 9 A.M.
The bypolls are being held for Channapatna Assembly constituency in Ramanagar district, Sandur Assembly seat in Ballary district and Shiggaon Assembly segment in Haveri district.
The high-profile Channapatna seat saw a turnout of 10.34 per cent of voters, the Shiggaon segment witnessed 10.08 per cent of voting and the Sandur seat saw a voters’ turnout of 9.99 per cent.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is the NDA candidate contesting under the JD(S) symbol from the Channapatna seat.
He is also the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
Former senior BJP leader, CP Yogeshwara is the Congress candidate from here.
Former Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharat Bommai is the BJP candidate from the Shiggaon Assembly constituency.
The Congress has fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan as its candidate.
Annapurna Tukaram, wife of former minister and Congress MP, E. Tukaram is the candidate for the grand old party from the Sandur Assembly segment.
The BJP has fielded Bangaru Hanumanthu, State Morcha President as its candidate.
The Congress, BJP and JD(S) have carried out high-voltage campaigning for the bypolls as the results are expected to have a direct impact on state politics.
CM Siddaramaiah, facing allegations of corruption and investigation by the Lokayukta and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case will find it difficult to continue in his position if the BJP manages to win all three seats.
The results are also crucial for Union Minister Kumaraswamy to consolidate his position in the BJP at the national level.
State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra will have a difficult time in case of a setback as he is facing internal challenges by senior leaders.
There are 2.36 lakh voters in the Sandur constituency and of these, 1.18 lakh are women. There are 29 voters belonging to the third gender category and there are 153 polling stations.
There are a total of 2.32 lakh voters in the Channapatna seat including 1.20 lakh women and 8 third gender voters. The Vokkaliga and Muslim voters are in large numbers in the constituency. There are 208 polling booths in the constituency.
There are a total of 2.37 lakh voters in Shiggaon among which 1.16 lakh are women and 6 are third gender voters. The voting would be held in the 196 polling stations across the constituency.
‘Pahalgam incident deeply disturbing & tragic’: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday termed the Pahalgam terror attack as disturbing & tragic and also condoled the victims and their families.
Congress finally deletes 'Gayab' post targeting PM Modi after outrage
Under fire from the BJP over its social media post targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress finally, on Tuesday, took down the controversial post.
Guterres calls EAM Jaishankar, Pak PM Sharif; stresses pursuing justice in Pahalgam terror attack
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of pursuing justice in the Pahalgam terrorist attack while speaking with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shebaz Sharif, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
Congress organises ‘Save Constitution’ rallies across NE states
The opposition Congress has been organising ‘Samvidhan Bachao’ (Save Constitution) campaign in the northeastern states. Claiming that the Constitution is in danger under the BJP-led Central government, the opposition Congress held a massive rally in Agartala on Tuesday.
RSS chief Bhagwat meets PM Modi after security huddle: Signs of a hard-hitting response in the works
In a significant political development, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday evening.
What PM Modi's free hand to armed forces against terror means for cross-border action?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unambiguous message during a high-level security meeting - ‘India is determined to deliver a crushing blow to terrorism’ - marks more than just a strong statement of resolve.
Justice BR Gavai appointed as next Chief Justice of India
Justice Gavai was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on May 29, 2019. Appointed as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in November 2003, he became a permanent Judge in November 2005.
Three more Bangladeshi nationals held in Tripura
The Tripura Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) on Tuesday apprehended three Bangladeshi nationals, including a woman, for illegally entering India, officials said.