K'taka polls: BJP will get more than 150 seats, says Yeddyurappa

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa on Saturday claimed that the party will get more than 150 seats and they will form the government in the state on May 17.

"It is an auspicious day, everyone should come out and vote. We (BJP) will get more than 150 seats and I'm gonna make the government on 17th May," he said.

Yeddyurappa urged the people of Karnataka to vote for BJP and assured them of good governance in the state.

"People are fed up with the Siddaramaiah government. I urge the people to come out and vote for BJP. I assure the people of Karnataka that I'm going to give good governance," he told ANI.

The BJP Chief Ministerial candidate casted his vote in Shikarpur, Shimoga.

Meanwhile, Union Minister and BJP leader Sadananda Gowda was seen casting his vote in Puttur.

Gowda said that people will come out in large numbers to remove the Siddaramaiah government from Karnataka

"Certainly there will be increase in voting this time. They want to remove the Siddaramaiah government from Karnataka. People will come out in large numbers," he said.

Just before the polling began for the assembly elections in the state, Yeddyurappa was seen performing puja at his residence. He also visited a temple in Shikarpur.

The polling, which began at 7 am in 58,546 polling stations, each equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), will conclude at 6 pm.

The election in two constituencies, Jayanagar and R.R. Nagar, has been postponed.

In Jayanagar, the polling has been deferred due to the death of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, B N Vijay Kumar, while in R.R. Nagar, it has been postponed due to fake voter-ID row.

The election in Karnataka is considered crucial for the Congress Party, as it would be looking to prevent the BJP juggernaut from expanding its footprints in the south.

Since the 2014 general election, the Congress has been defeated by the BJP in over a dozen states, drastically shrinking its political footprint.

The BJP is making an all-out bid to oust the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka and is looking to come back to power in the state with B.S. Yeddyurappa, its chief ministerial candidate. Interestingly, no incumbent government has been re-elected in Karnataka since 1985.

The Janata Dal (Secular) is looking to establish itself once again in Karnataka politics and is expected to give a tough fight to both the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and 4.96-crore electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their votes. Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

Tight security is in place to ensure smooth and peaceful polling across the 222 seats out of 224 assembly constituencies ,spread across 30 districts.