K’taka election results 2023: Counting to begin at 8 am, section 144 imposed, traffic curbs on

The counting of votes for the Karnataka assembly polls 2023 is set to begin at 8 am across 36 centres in a short while now.

The BJP government in the state is hoping to retain power in the state by breaking a 38-year-old jinx in Karnataka where the electorate has never voted an incumbent government back to power.

The Congress is aiming a return to power with a solid win while the JDS looks to increase its seat tally.

A party or a coalition needs to win 113 seats to secure a majority in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly.

While exit polls have predicted an edge for the Congress in a fierce fight with the BJP while many have predicted a hung House. In such a scenario, HD Kumaraswamy’s JDS may play kingmaker.

The saffron party in its manifesto, had promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), while the Congress had promised to extend the reservation ceiling from 50% to 75%, eliminate corruption in public works, and take strong legal action against groups such as the Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India, reports The Indian Express.

In the 2018 Assembly election results, since none of the party had a clear majority, the BJP was called to form the government as the single-largest party, with 104 MLAs in a House of 224. However, the Congress and JD(S) joined hands and assembled 116 names (Congress 76, JD-S 37 and three Independents) to remove it.

Congress-JD(S) soon lost 17 of their MLAs, who resigned from the Assembly after being holed up in a resort in Mumbai and switched sides to the BJP. Karnataka BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister but resigned on July 26, 2021 and he was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai, also hails from the Lingayat community.

Section 144 has been imposed throughout the district on Saturday to ensure peaceful vote-counting process for the Assembly election.

The Bengaluru city traffic police has also implemented traffic restrictions and parking prohibitions in and around the counting centres with vehicles not allowed to park in the vicinity of the centres.

There will also be a prohibition on the sale of alcohol in the Bengaluru police Commissionerate region from 6 am on Saturday to 12 am on Sunday.

Under the additional commissioner of police, east and west, 10 DCPs, 15 ACPs, 38 police inspectors, 250 PSIs, 1,200 police personnel, 12 CRPF contingents, and 36 KSRP contingents will also be deployed in the city.