K'taka polls: Kumaraswamy casts vote, says JD(S) will win

The chief ministerial candidate of the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) Party H.D. Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha cast their votes here on Saturday.

Kumaraswamy said he was confident that his party would win by a comfortable margin.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "People have decided and are mentally prepared to bless the JD(S) in the election. We will surprise everyone on May 15."

When asked about various poll surveys predicting wins for the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a fractured mandate, Kumaraswamy rejected them by saying, "There will be a total U-turn. I am confident that I will become the Karnataka Chief Minister."

"This election is not crucial for me, it's crucial for the people of the state. The people of Karnataka have given Siddaramaiah a chance, Yeddyurappa a chance. I am the only one left now. I am the best candidate."

Asked about whether the JD(S) party would fall short of a majority, Kumaraswamy asserted, "That won't arise at all. The JD(S) party will reach the magic numbers (112).

Before casting his vote, Kumaraswamy and his wife met Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Bengaluru's Jayanagar locality on Saturday.

Like Siddaramaiah, the former Karnataka chief minister is contesting from two constituencies - Ramanagaram and Channapatna.

In Ramanagaram, which is a predominant JD(S) seat, Kumaraswamy won in both the 2008 and 2013 elections.

The JD-S 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 party.

A voter turnout of 24 percent has been recorded so far in the Karnataka assembly elections till 11 a.m.

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

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 single-phase polling in 222 constituencies, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and 26 in Bengaluru.

Counting and the results of the election will be announced on Tuesday.