As the countdown for the counting of votes has begun, all arrangements have been made by respective district administrations in the districts of Kalyana Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka for counting of votes polled in the Lok Sabha elections.
The results are of great importance for the leaders of both the BJP and the Congress from these two regions as their political future depends on it.
Two former Chief Ministers, namely Jagadish Shettar and Basavaraj Bommai, are testing their fortunes in the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, while Union Minister Pralhad Joshi is hoping for a fifth win in a row.
Several of the Ministers in the Congress government in Karnataka from the region are anxious as their wards and relatives are in the fray.
Priyanka Jarkiholi (Chikkodi), Mrinal Hebbalkar (Belagavi), Samyukta Patil (Bagalkot) and Sagar Khandre (Bidar), children of Ministers Satish Jarkiholi, Laxmi Hebbalkar, Shivanand Patil and Eshwar Khandre, respectively, are contesting the elections for the first time. The answer to the question, will they be able to spring any surprises, is awaited.
Radhakrishna Doddamani, son-in-law of All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge, is in the fray in Kalaburagi, where Mr. Kharge was defeated in 2019.
This apart, in Davangere of Central Karnataka, Congress veteran and former Minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s daughter-in-law and wife of Minister S.S. Mallikarjun, Prabha Mallikarjun, has contested against Gayatri Siddeshwar, wife of former Union Minister G.M. Siddeshwar.
As per the Election Commission of India, while the results are likely to be ready by afternoon, the official announcement is likely to be done only by evening as the tallying of VVPAT slips has to be completed before the results are made known.
Bandobast
As a precautionary measure, additional police forces have been deployed around the counting centres and in sensitive areas and elaborate arrangements have been made for counting of votes.
Meticulous preparations have been made by the respective district administrations and poll officials to ensure that the counting gets completed without any hassles.
On Saturday, Returning officers and Deputy Commissioners of the respective districts reviewed the preparations for the counting of votes and they visited the counting centres to check the arrangements.
Counting of votes is set to begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
Published - June 03, 2024 10:35 pm IST
