If the pollsters have left the State confused over the probable outcome of the Assembly elections, there was little clarity on the political impact of a turnout that did not improve much over the 2013 elections.
While the final figures will be available on Sunday, a clear trend is emerging through the provisional figures provided on Saturday evening. The overall turnout in the State, according to the provisional figures, was 70.91%.
Marked improvement
There was a marked improvement in the turnout in districts in southern Karnataka and Old Mysore region — something both the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) will be keeping an eye on.
On the other hand, Hyderabad Karnataka region — where the Congress and the BJP are battling for the upper hand — registered lower turnouts, and even joined the constituencies in Bengaluru at the bottom of the table.
Ramanagaram district topped the list with at least 80% voter turnout, and the final figures are expected to match the 82.5% the district had achieved in 2013.
Here, Channapatna — where a photo finish is expected in the contest between JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and incumbent MLA and BJP candidate C.P. Yogeshwar — recorded 84% polling, and the final figure may cross 84.78% recorded in 2013.
Similarly, the turnout in Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, and Chickballapur is expected to cross 80% once the tabulation of votes ends. Melkote — where Darshan Puttannaiah is attempting to win the seat held by his father, late K.S. Puttannaiah — saw 86.88% polling.
Joining Bengaluru at the bottom of the table are Kalaburagi and Bidar districts, which, according to the provisional figures, saw a reduction in the turnout when compared with the 2013 figures. Raichur, Ballari and Yadgir similarly recorded low turnouts.
If there is a reduction in the overall voter turnout in the State, there is little to explain it, considering that the rains — which many thought would disrupt voting in the afternoon and evening — were confined to a few pockets around Dharwad.
The Election Commission’s SVEEP programme, which targeted voters, had ensured that the slow decline of voter turnout halted and reversed in 2008, and it peaked in 2013.
By mid-afternoon, with the polling percentage jumping by 10 to 15% every couple of hours, it did seem like that voter turnout might break through the records. Both the Congress and the BJP had claimed then that the surge implied a voter tilt in their favour.
