Karnataka by-elections see overall voter turnout of 81.84% across three assembly constituencies

Karnataka by-elections see 81.84% voter turnout across three constituencies, with Channapatna leading at 88.48%.

Election officials reported a preliminary voter turnout of 81.84% across three Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, where by-elections took place on Wednesday. Channapatna saw a particularly high turnout at 88.48%, with Shiggaon at 80.48% and Sandur at 76.24%, news agency PTI reported.

Karnataka by-elections 2024: Channapatna saw a particularly high turnout at 88.48%, with Shiggaon at 80.48% and Sandur at 76.24%. (PTI)

By 11 am, voter participation was off to a strong start in these regions, with Channapatna reaching 27.02%, Shiggaon 26.01%, and Sandur at 25.96%, averaging an overall turnout of 26.33%. Earlier, by 9 am, the figures were at 10.14% for the state overall, with specific turnout levels at 10.34% in Channapatna, 10.08% in Shiggaon, and 9.99% in Sandur, according to officials.

READ | Karnataka by-poll 2024: 10.14% voting till 9am in three Assembly segments Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur

This is after Vijayendra Yediyurappa, the Karnataka BJP President, urged voters to cast their ballots in huge numbers. “100% turnout: A boon to development. I urge the voters of Shiggavi, Sandur, and Channapatna constituencies to exercise their democratic rights in full,” he wrote on social media platform X, using the hashtag #Byelections2024.

After this, several elderly voters were seen arriving at the polling stations despite facing physical ailments, some with the help of wheelchairs, exemplifying their dedication to the election. Polling in Channapatna, Shiggaon, and Sandur began at 7 am and continued until 6 pm.

READ | Karnataka bypolls 2024: Overall voter turnout at 26.33% till 11am in Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur

These by-elections follow the vacancy of the three Assembly seats after former Chief Ministers HD Kumaraswamy and Basavaraj Bommai, and Congress’s E Tukaram were appointed as union ministers. A total of 45 candidates were competing for the seats, with more than 7,00,000 eligible voters across approximately 770 polling stations. The results for the bypoll is scheduled for November 23.

In Channapatna, JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy is running under the NDA banner, facing veteran Congress MLA CP Yogeshwar. In Shiggaon, Bharath Bommai of BJP, son of former CM Basavaraj Bommai, is in competition with Congress’s Yasir Ahmed Khan. Meanwhile, Congress candidate E Annapurna, wife of Bellary MP E Tukaram, is challenging BJP’s Bangaru Hanumanthu in Sandur.

(With inputs from PTI)