Stage set for high-stakes Karnataka Assembly elections tomorrow

After a high voltage campaign it is now time for the mega battle of ballots in Karnataka with the state all set to elect its representatives to the 224member Legislative Assembly on WednesdayWith the stakes being high in this election the major political parties in contention the BJP Congress and JDS and their candidates have made a strong pitch seeking to boost their prospects at the hustingsThe voting will take place from 7 am to 6 pmA total of 53133054 electors are eligible to cast their votes in 58545 polling stations across the state where 2615 candidates are in the frayAmong the electors 26728053 are male 26400074 female and 4927 others while among the candidates 2430 are male 184 female and one from third genderAlso read People want an end to corruption Priyanka Gandhi pins hope for good result in Karnataka electionAs many as 1171558 are young voters while 571281 are persons with disabilities PWDs and 1215920 are aged above 80While the ruling BJP riding on the Modi juggernaut wants to break the 38year jinx and retain its southern citadel the Congress is seeking to wrest power to give the party muchneeded elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha electionsAlso what needs to be watched out for is whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowdaled Janata Dal Secular will emerge as a kingmaker by holding the key for government formation in the event of a hung verdict as it has done in the pastA government with full majority seemed to be the favourite slogan for the leaders of all the political parties during campaigning as they stressed on getting a clear mandate to form a strong and stable government in the state unlike what happened after the 2018 pollsA total of 75603 Ballot Units BU 70300 Control Units CU and 76202 voter verifiable paper audit trail VVPAT are slated to be used during votingAccording to poll officials elaborate security arrangements have been made across the state for the smooth conduct of elections and forces have been deployed from neighbouring statesCritical Polling Stations are covered by one or more of the measures like Micro Observers Webcasting and CCTVs to keep a watch on the polling process as force multipliers