New Delhi: On the day of voting for the Karnataka Assembly Polls, senior Congress leader and former state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the current election would be his last one and he will not contest election in the future.
Talking to the press, the Congress leader added that he will not retire either. He said, “There is a tremendous response from the voters. I will get more than 60 % of the votes. Congress will form the government on its own. I am not going to retire but I will not contest elections. This is my last election.”
Staking claims to form a majority in the Assembly, the former Karnataka CM said that the grand-old party will win at least 156 seats.
#WATCH | "There is a tremendous response from the voters. I will get more than 60 % of the votes. Congress will form the government on its own. I am not going to retire but I will not contest elections. This is my last election," says Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader… pic.twitter.com/ZVdz5o9gIW
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The voting for the Karnataka Assembly began this morning amid the tight security. The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Voter turnout of 7.83 per cent till 9 am has been recorded, according to the Election Commission.
As per the schedule, the state will announce its verdict on May 13. As many as 2,615 candidates are running for the race to reach the state Assembly.
A Triangular Fight
The three main contendors in Karnataka are Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and JDS. The saffron party who formed the government with maximum majority in Assembly made all possible efforts to come back to retain power in the state.
Meanwhile, Congress and JD(S) wanted to use the anti-incumbency factor against the BJP and come to the power.