BENGALURU: Even as you are reading it, counting of votes for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that will decide political future of many veteran leaders in the state would have commenced. Early trends are expected by afternoon and the results will start coming in by around 3 pm.
The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements at the counting centres and armed para-military forces have been deployed to guard EVMs and VVPAT. Additional forces have been deployed in districts like Mandya that is likely to witness a keen contest between independent candidate and actor Sumalatha Ambareesh and Chief Minister’s son and JDS candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
While Mandya is a prestige battle for the JDS, political future of the former prime minister HD Deve Gowda will be decided in Tumakuru. If Gowda and his two grandsons win, they will be creating a record of a grandfather and two grandsons being members of the Parliament at the same time. H D Revanna’s son Prajwal is contesting from Hassan.
The JDS is confident of winning all three seats, but most exit polls have given the party two seats. Family members and followers of many leaders, including former Deve Gowda’s followers and grandsons, visited temples a day before the counting. A tight contest is expected in Kalaburagi, where Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is contesting his 12th election.
Kharge is pitted against Dr Umesh Jadhav of BJP. Former CM M Veerappa Moily of Congress is pitted against BJP’s Bache Gowda in Chikkaballapura.
In Bengaluru North, Union Minister D V Sadanada Gowda is contesting against Congress candidate and state RDPR Minister Krishna Byre Gowda. Bengaluru Central too is expected to witness right contest between BJP’s PC Mohan and Congress candidate Rizwan Arshad. Actor Prakash Raj is also contesting from Bengaluru Central as an independent candidate.