Karnataka elections: Bengaluru turnout dips to a pathetic 51%

BENGALURU: Bengalureans lived up to their infamy of electoral apathy on Thursday with the city recording a turnout of 51%. The city had recorded a turnout of 56% in the previous general elections.


Bengaluru Central parliamentary seat was at the bottom of the heap with a dismal 49.75% turnout. Bengaluru North was a tad better with 50.51% and Bengaluru South 54.12%.

“It is a little disheartening that the turnout didn’t see any improvement, notwithstanding our initiatives to create awareness and enthuse people to vote,” said Chidananda Vatare, additional chief electoral officer.

“I think people preferred to go out as the long weekend started just before the polling day,” he added.

Candidates from major parties, too, blamed the holiday season among other reasons. “May be political parties and candidates, including me, failed to enthuse the voters,” said BJP candidate from Bengaluru Central and sitting MP PC Mohan.

Congress candidate Arshad Rizwan pointed at the sweltering heat. “There may be other reasons, too,” Rizwan said. “It is really sad that Bengalureans are still showing apathy,” said actor Prakash Raj, who is in the fray as an independent in Bengaluru Central.

Analysts, however, sought to blame it on the electoral rolls, which they said was infested with duplicate entries, non-deletion of voters who ought to be deleted and removal of genuine voters. “Our voter list is not proper and the authorities have to take responsibility for the ‘bloated’ electoral rolls,” said PG Bhat, a voter list analyst.

BJP, Cong workers clash

There was chaos as Congress and BJP workers clashed at a polling station in Vijinapura, KR Puram, on Thursday. Police intervened to break up the brawl, which left a few people injured. Workers of the two parties lodged complaints with police.

10 detained

Police detained 13 men in Yelahanka after polling booth staff sought their intervention. “There was an argument over a difference in address on a voter ID card. The matter was solved after staff crosschecked with the voter list,” an officer said.