Bengaluru, May 13: Karnataka has emerged with its highest polling percentage in 2018 state legislative assembly polls held on May 12, wherein 72.13% voters exercised their franchise, a marginal increase from the 71.45% recorded in 2013.
This is a new record for the state, besting the previous record of 71.90% turnout in 1978 elections.
However, this isn’t the final figure. According to officials, counting of the postal ballots is still on. “In all likelihood, the polling percentage will go up. We will release the final figures, with the trends by evening today,” said, B R Mamatha, Additional Chief Electoral Officer.
To the ignominy of the capital city, all five constituencies with the lowest turnout are in the city, with Dasarahalli at the bottom with a turnout of 48.03%, a decrease of over 7.45% since 2013. Along with C.V. Raman Nagar, these are the only constituencies in the state to have seen less than half the eligible voters turn up to the booths on Saturday.
However, Bengaluru’s adjacent constituencies top the charts, with Hosakote seeing a voter turnout of 89.97%, a marginal decrease from the 90.97% it had recorded in 2013 when it had recorded the state’s highest turnout. Similarly, Srinivasapura and Chikkaballapur saw nearly 88% turnout.
Election Commission data reveals that 159 constituencies improved on their voter turnout in state, with Bableshwar, represented by Irrigation Minister M.B. Patil, seeing a marked surge of 7.48%.
A further 63 constituencies saw a reduction in voting, with Kolar constituency seeing a decline in voter turnout by over 12%. Incidentally, 23 out of 28 constituencies from Bengaluru have seen a reduction in the voter turnout, despite efforts by the Election Commission of India and civic groups to counter the belief that the Bengaluru shows an “apathy” when it comes to voting.
Here’s how Karnataka has voted ever since Independence.










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