FM Sitharaman, Former CM Yediyurappa Among Early Voters in Karnataka Assembly Polls

GG News Bureau

Bengaluru, 10th May. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, IT industry veteran N R Narayana Murthy and wife Sudha Murthy, and Mysuru royal family member ‘Rajamate’ Pramoda Devi Wadiyar were among the early voters in the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday.

Siddalinga Swamiji, the seer of the Tumakuru-based Siddaganga Mutt; actor Ramesh Arvind, senior Congress leader G Parameshwara, and ministers like R Ashoka, Araga Jnanendra, C N Ashwath Narayan, and K Sudhakar voted in the early hours of voting, which began at 7 a.m.

Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty voted in Bengaluru in Jayanagar, where Karnataka Rajya Sabha member Sitharaman also voted.

Manoj Kumar Meena, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, and Tushar Giri Nath, District Electoral Officer and Chief of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), also voted.

Sudha Murty, urging people to vote, stated: “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.” 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.”

Yediyurappa, along with sons — party candidate B Y Vijayendra and Shivamogga MP B Y Raghavendra — and other family members, visited a shrine in the morning before voting in Shikaripura, Shivamogga district.

“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.

Many polling places in Bengaluru had heavy turnout, with senior persons leading the way in some of them.