K’taka to Go for Assembly Polls on May 12, Results on May 15

The Karnataka assembly polls will be held in a single phase on May 12 and the results will be declared on May 15, the Election Commission (EC) announced today March 27. This brings the model code of conduct into effect in the state.

April 24 will be the last date for filing the nominations and April 27 will be the last date for the withdrawal of candidature, the EC said. 56,696 polling stations will be set up for a total of 4,96,82,357 voters across the state. In the previous elections held in May 2013, the voter turnout was recorded as 71.45%. 

The Congress is currently ruling the state with 123 MLAs against 44 - BJP and 40- JD(S), whose term will end on May 28. 

Meanwhile, controversy sparred today when BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted the polling dates before the election commission officially announced the election schedule. O.P. Rawat, Chief Election Commission said that an investigation into the incident will be done and action will be taken accordingly.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate for these elections, B S Yeddyurappa and H D Kumaraswamy are announced as CM candidates from BJP and JD(S) parties respectively.

For the last few months, Congress and BJP parties have done with several rounds of campaigning across the state. JD(S), had earlier announced an electoral alliance with BSP and released its first list of 123 candidates for these elections. 

The issues such as employment and water supply (both for irrigational and drinking purposes) going to play a significant role in determining the elections outcome, a recent survey conducted between March 1 and March 25 by C fore, a multidisciplinary research organization, projected that Congress is expected to win 126 seats with a 46% vote share leaving 70 seats for BJP and 27 for JD(S).

The elections are crucial for both BJP and Congress since the outcome will have an obvious impact in the upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan at the end of this year followed by the general elections due next year. Since Karnataka is the only South Indian state that BJP had earlier ruled, the saffron party is leading vigorous campaign to retain the state. 

The state had been witnessing anti-incumbency since 1983 elections, that is,  no ruling party had retained power for a second consecutive term, however, one needs to await until May 15 to see the outcome of these elections.

In the previous elections, the vote shares of Congress, BJP and JD(S) +(BSP) are 36.59%, 19.89% and 21.1% respectively.