Karnataka Assembly polls, campaigning ends Thursday for first phase

Bangalore, May 8 : Campaigning for the first phase of Karnataka Assembly polls will ends this evening as 89 constituencies of the 224 member house spread over 11 Districts will go to the polls on Saturday.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will address a public gathering here today.

Meanwhile, the Chief Election Commissioner of India, N.Gopalaswamy and two other Election Commissioners will hold a meeting with election observers and Deputy Commissioners of districts and Police officials to review the preparations for the second phase of elections.

In all 2140 electronic voting machines have been kept ready to be despatched to the 1965 polling stations in the district.

In addition, 331 EVMS are kept ready for replacements, if necessary, in the polling booths.

In all, 15,000 government officials from the state and the Centre have been drawn for election duty for the first phase polling.

The second phase of polling will take place on May 16, when a total of 66 Assembly constituencies in 10 districts of Raichur, Koppal, Uttara Kannada, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Shimoga, Udupi, Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada will face the ballot.

A total of 69 Assembly constituencies in eight districts of North Karnataka, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Bidar, Gulbaga, Bijapur, Bagalakot and Belgaum will face the ballot in the third phase.

The counting of votes in all the 224 constituencies will take place on May 25.

ANI