Karnataka Polls: Vote4Future, A General Election Portal Launched For First-Time Voters

Karnataka Election 2023: A citizen war room has been set up in Karnataka where volunteers will take calls (in both Kannada and English) to answer queries of first-time voters about the election.

Karnataka Election 2023: Reap Benefit, an NGO, has launched ‘#Vote4Future’ campaign for first-time voters to create awareness among them. As only a few days are left for the elections, a citizen war room and WhatsApp chatbot has also been created for first-timers across the state.

This has been done so that the move will help first-time voters navigate the elections. A citizen war room has been set up in Karnataka where volunteers will take calls (in both Kannada and English) to answer queries of first-time voters about the election.

Moreover, the chatbot will also help first-time voters test their political literacy and access useful resources and participate in online and offline forums.

“Nearly 50 lakh voters are going to exercise their right to vote for the first time in this election,” Srinivas Alavilli, a civic activist, who has been mentoring Reap Benefit team, told Decan Herald.

Karnataka Election: Full Schedule

Earlier, the Election Commission had announced that the assembly elections in Karnataka will be held on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. The Karnataka assembly will complete on May 25.

This time, over 5.21 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise and among them 9.17 lakh are first-time voters, according to EC. The EC said there will be a total of 58,282 polling stations across the state with webcasting facility in 50% of them.

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification
13 April 2023

Last Date of Nominations
20 April. 2023

Date for Scrutiny of Nominations
21 April 2023

Last Date for Withdrawal of candidatures
24 April 2023

Date of Poll
10 May 2023

Date of Counting
13 May 2023

BJP Releases Poll Manifesto

Earlier in the day, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party released its manifesto for Karnataka Assembly polls and made a host of promises topping which was provision of 3 free cooking gas cylinders to all BPL (Below Poverty Level) families annually.

The BJP said the free cylinders will be provided in three installments of one cylinder each in the months of Yugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Deepavali. The manifesto or the vision document was released by the BJP’s national president JP Nadda in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessor and Lingayat stalwart BS Yediyurappa.

The ruling party, in all, made 16 promises in its vision document which promised to launch the ‘Poshana’ (nutrition) scheme through which every BPL household will be provided with half litre Nandini milk every day and 5 kg Shri Anna-siri dhanya (millets) through monthly ration kits.

“We will introduce the Visvesvaraya Vidya Yojane under which the state government will partner with eminent individuals and institutions for holistic upgradation of government schools to top class standards,” the manifesto said.

The BJP also promised to launch the ‘Samanvaya’ scheme to drive collaboration between SMEs and ITIs and generate a dynamic ecosystem of education and employment for talented young professionals.

“We will provide career support for aspirational youth by providing financial incentives for students to pursue coaching for IAS/KAS/banking/government jobs,” it said.

Underlining its commitment to the healthcare sector, the BJP said it will strengthen the public healthcare infrastructure in the state through ‘Mission Swasthya Karnataka’ by establishing one Namma clinic, equipped with diagnostic facilities, in every ward of municipal corporations. “Additionally, we will also provide a free annual master health check-up for senior citizens,” the party stated in the vision document.

“We will develop Bengaluru for the next generation by designating it as ‘State Capital Region’, and executing a comprehensive, technology-led city development program – centred around Ease of Life, cohesive transportation networks and enabling ecosystems for making Bengaluru a Global Hub of Digital Innovation,” the manifesto said.