Karnataka Elections 2023: 65.69 per cent voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

The voting for 224 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka started at 7 am today, May 10 with 65.69 per cent voter turnout recorded till 5 pm.

A total of 58,545 polling stations have been set up where at least 5,31,33,054 electors are casting their votes today.

The major political parties who are in contention are BJP, Congress and JD (S) who are fighting for a total of 113 seats.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will look to ride on the Modi juggernaut and break the 38-year jinx to return to power. 

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Since 1985, Karnataka has never elected the incumbent party to office, and the BJP hopes to alter that by holding its southern stronghold. The Congress, on the other hand, would try to capitalise on its anti-corruption allegations and hope that the anti-incumbency factor will help it grab power in order to place itself as the main opposition force in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 

The third front, led principally by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular), would seek to emerge as either a "king" or a "kingmaker" and hold the key to government formation in the event of a divided mandate.  

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former CM Siddaramaiah said that the grand old party will secure 60 per cent of the vote share in the Assembly polls and win 130 to 160 seats.