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.
ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರದ ಪ್ರಜೆಯಾಗಿರುವುದು ನಮಗೆ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ, ಮತ ಹಾಕುವುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಹಕ್ಕು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ಕೂಡ..
— Rishab Shetty (@shetty_rishab) May 10, 2023
ಉತ್ತಮ ಸಮಾಜದ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ, ಸಮರ್ಥ ಜನಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಯ ಆಯ್ಕೆಗಾಗಿ ತಪ್ಪದೇ ಮತ ಚಲಾಯಿಸಿ.
I have voted for a better future of our Karnataka.
Have you voted yet?… pic.twitter.com/Uw85rH0d00
Vote for development,youth and women empowerment ️ pic.twitter.com/DPaHn81L5w
— Amulya (@nimmaamulya) May 10, 2023
ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ Vote ಮಾಡುದ್ವಿ, ನೀವು Vote ಮಾಡಿ.
— Dhananjaya (@Dhananjayaka) May 10, 2023
Vote ಮಾಡುವವರೆ Dare Devil.
ನಾನ್ ಬಿಡಿ ಡೇರ್ ಡೆವಿಲ್, ನೀವು..? pic.twitter.com/ZZyUK4ov6x
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.