Rishab Shetty and Prakash Raj 
Karnataka

Kannada film industry shows up to vote in Karnataka Assembly elections

Actors in Karnataka, including Shiva Rajkumar, Prakash Raj, Amulya, Ganesh, Ramesh Aravind, Jaggesh, Rakshit Shetty, Rishab Shetty, Umashree, and Dhananjay, all cast their votes in the state Assembly elections held on May 10.

Written by : TNM Staff

Several film actors in Karnataka exercised their right to vote in the state Assembly elections on Wednesday, May 10. Actors including Shiva Rajkumar, Prakash Raj, Amulya and her husband, Ganesh and his wife Shilpa, Ramesh Aravind and his wife Archana, Jaggesh, Rakshit Shetty, Rishab Shetty, Umashree, and Dhananjaya all voted in their respective constituencies.

Actor Shiva Rajkumar, son of late actor Rajkumar, and brother of Puneet Rajkumar, cast his vote in Bengaluru. Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly election, he had attended a Congress rally in Chitradurga where he spoke highly of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Actor/director Prakash Raj cast his vote at St Joseph's School in Bengaluru's Shantinagar, while Amulya and her husband voted at a polling booth in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru. Ganesh and his wife, Ramesh Aravind and his wife, and Jaggesh, all cast their votes in different areas of Bengaluru.

Kannada actor Rakshit Shetty cast his vote in Udupi, while Kantara actor Rishab Shetty cast his vote at a polling booth in the Udupi district and urged others to vote, via Twitter. Umashree cast her vote in Bagalkot, while Dhananjaya and his family cast their votes in his native village of Kalenahalli near Arasikere in the Hassan district.

The Karnataka Assembly comprises 224 seats, with a minimum requirement of 112 seats for a party or coalition to establish a government. In the 2018 elections, the BJP won 104 seats, while Congress secured 78 seats and JD(S) 37 seats. Subsequently, after the bye-elections in 2019, BJP gained the support of Congress and JD(S) legislators, increasing their numbers to 120 in the Assembly, while Congress and JD(S) were reduced to 69 and 32 seats, respectively.

The Congress party's current campaign for the Assembly elections has been primarily focused on criticising the BJP's failures during its tenure. In contrast, the BJP has tried to defend itself by highlighting the personality of the Prime Minister and the strength of the 'double engine' government. Meanwhile, the JD(S) has urged voters to reject both the national parties.