Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, IT industry veteran N R Narayana Murthy along with wife Sudha Murty, and Mysuru royal family member 'Rajamate' Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, were among the early voters who cast their ballot in the Karnataka Assembly polls on Wednesday.
IMAGE: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after casting her vote for Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Photograph: Courtesy @nsitharamanoffc/Twitter
IMAGE: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with his family after casting vote in Shiggaon. Photograph: Kind courtesy @BSBommai/Twitter
Siddalinga Swamiji, seer of the Tumakuru-based Siddaganga Mutt; actor Ramesh Arvind, senior Congress leader G Parameshwara, and ministers including R Ashoka, Araga Jnanendra, C N Ashwath Narayan and K Sudhakar exercised their franchise in the initial hours of polling, which began at 7 am.
IMAGE: Former CM and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa with his family members after casting votes in Shikaripura. Photograph: PTI Photo
IMAGE: Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar shows his ink-marked finger after casting his vote at Karnataka Public School polling station, Doddalahalli, Kanakapura Taluk, in Ramanagara. Photograph: ANI Photo
Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty voted at Jayanagar in Bengaluru, where Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, also voted.
IMAGE: Former Karnataka CM and Congress candidate from Varuna constituency Siddaramaiah casts his vote. Photograph: ANI on Twitter
Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena and District Electoral Officer and Chief of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Tushar Giri Nath also cast their ballot.
IMAGE: Former CM and Congress leader Jagadish Shettar with his family members after casting votes at a polling station in Hubballi. Photograph: PTI Photo
IMAGE: Former Karnataka CM and JD-S leader H D Kumaraswamy, along with his family, casts his vote at a polling booth in Ramanagara. Photograph: ANI on Twitter
Urging people to come out and vote, Sudha Murty said: "I will not ask you who you will vote for or why you vote, because everyone has their own opinion and decision, but everyone should vote. We vote in every election."
IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his wife Radhabai Kharge cast their votes at a polling booth in Kalaburagi. Photograph: ANI on Twitter
On people who 'go out' without voting, she said, "I can only say those who don't have patriotism, do such things. Get up early, first vote and then go anywhere you want."
IMAGE: Senior BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje after casting her vote in Bengaluru. Photograph: Kind courtesy @ShobhaBJP/Twitter
IMAGE: BJP Yuva Morcha president Tejasvi Surya with his family members shows his ink-marked finger after casting his vote, in Bengaluru. Photograph: ANI Photo
BJP stalwart Yediyurappa, along with sons -- party candidate B Y Vijayendra and Shivamogga MP B Y Raghavendra -- other family members, visited a temple in the morning and later voted at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district.
IMAGE: Infosys co-founders Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy after casting their votes, in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo
IMAGE: Union minister and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi after casting his vote, in Hubballi. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JoshiPralhad/Twitter
"Based on the developmental works of (PM) Modi and (Basavaraj) Bommai government and my travel across the state I'm saying that we will win 125-130 seats and form the government on our own, and Vijayendra will win in Shikaripura by a margin of over 40,000 votes," Yediyurappa said after voting.
IMAGE: RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale after casting his vote, in Bengaluru. Photograph: PTI Photo
Many polling stations in Bengaluru saw brisk polling, with senior citizens leading from the front at some of them.
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