The counting of votes to decide the verdict of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka began at 8 am on Thursday, May 23. The fate of 237 candidates, including 227 men and 10 women, who are in the fray, is likely to be known by evening.
The main contest in Karnataka is between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) alliance. In 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 17 seats while Congress and JD (S) bagged nine and two seats, respectively.
Key Candidates
Former prime minister and JD-S supremo HD Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil who contested from Mandya constituency, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, DV Sadananda Gowda (BJP), Shobha Karandlaje (BJP), Tejasvi Surya (BJP), state Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda are among the prominent faces from the state this election.
According to the exit poll predictions released on May 19 after the seventh and last phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections were concluded at 6 pm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to gain majority where the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) are currently in power when the final result of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are announced.
News 18-IPSOS and India Today-Axis said that the BJP-led NDA will come to power in the state by winning a minimum of 21 seats. Today's Chanakya exit poll predicted that BJP will sweep Karnataka with 23 seats ± 4 seats, while Congress will bag 5± 4 seats.
In Karnataka, voting took place on April 18 and April 23. The state witnessed a better voter turnout in both phases in comparison to 2014 Lok Sabha election. While Karnataka recorded a total of 68.81 percent voter turnout in contrast to 2014's 65% in its phase one, a total of 68 per cent polling was reported in the second phase as compared to 67.28 per cent in 2014.
The constituencies which went to poll in the second phase in Karnataka were Bangalore Central, Bangalore North, Bangalore Rural, Chamarajanagar, Chikballapur, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, Udupi Chikmagalur, Bangalore South.
Meanwhile, people voted for the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the third phase. They were Bagalkot, Belagavi, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chikkodi, Davanagere, Dharwad, Haveri, Gulbarga, Koppal, Raichur, Shimoga and Uttara Kannada.
The Lok Sabha election was held to elect Members of Parliament for 542 of the 543 parliamentary constituencies, spread across 29 states and seven Union Territories.
