66% voter turnout in Karnataka bypolls
Minor disturbances were reported in Ranebennur, with voters hitting out at parties for distributing money to lure voters.
The crucial byelection to 15 Karnataka assembly constituencies that would have a bearing on the stability of the B S Yediyurappa-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government saw an estimated 66.49 per cent voter turnout on Thursday and was by and large peaceful. The figures are provisional and will be updated on Friday.
Minor disturbances were reported in Ranebennur, with voters hitting out at parties for distributing money to lure voters. The Karnataka Congress complained to the Election Commission against a BJP worker for distributing cash. In Hosa Ramenahalli of Hunsur seat, police asked Congress MLA Anil Chikkamadu to leave a polling centre.
Rural parts of the state recorded a higher voting turnout: A record 86.40% was registered in Chikkaballapur, a rural constituency, about 60km east of Bengaluru. Congress defector K. Sudhakar is the ruling BJP’s candidate in this prestigious seat. K.R. Pete in Mandya district recorded a whopping 80 per cent. BJP fielded KC Narayana Gowda, a Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) defector from this rural segment. While the highest voting of 86.77% was recorded in Hosakote constitutency on the outskirts of Bangalore, Shivaji Nagar in the silicon city registered the lowest votes polled at a mere 44.6%, according to Election Commission data.
The bypolls were necessitated after 14 Congress and three JDS MLAs resigned from their positions pushing the Janata Dal Secular (JDS)-Congress coalition government into a minority. These MLAs were disqualified by the speaker and while the Supreme Court upheld their disqualification, it however allowed them to contest polls again. Of the 17 seats, two are facing legal cases in the Karnataka high court and thus bypolls have now been held for 15 seats.
The BJP needs to win at least six of the 15 bypolls to get a simple majority — in the 224 member assembly with two seats vacant, the halfway mark is 112. BJP currently has 105 members and support of one independent. The Congress and JDS will have to win at least 12 seats collectively and come together if they wish to topple the B S Yediyurappa led government.
