35% polling till 1400 hrs

Bangalore, May 10 (UNI) An estimated 35 per cent polling was reported till 1400 hrs in the first phase of polling for 89 Assembly seats in 11 districts of Karnataka today.

The polling, which began on a sedate note, picked up momentum with large number of voters seen at the polling booths.

Incidents of people protesting against non-inclusion of their names in the voter list despite having Voter ID were reported at several places.

Karnataka is the first state in the country to go to polls after delimitation process was undertaken. Nearly 1.73 crore voters would be deciding the fate of 953 candidates in this phase.

Till 1300 hrs, 24 per cent (lowest) polling was reported in Kolar District while it was 41 per cent (highest) in Chamarajanagara District followed by Bangalore, Hassan (26 per cent each), Tumkur (27), BBMP and Mysore (33 each), Kodagu (34), Chikkaballapura (35), Ramanagara (39), Bangalore Rural (35) and Mandya (39).

Director General and Inspector General of Police Sri Kumar told UNI that polling was peaceful except for a minor incident of workers of two political parties exchanging blows in Arasikere Town in Hassan District.

However, police intervened and pacified both the groups and situation was brought under control.

In some booths in the city, Tumkur, Mysore and Hassan, the polling was stopped for some time due to technical snag in the EVMs. However, it was rectified immediately by changing the EVMs.

In Mandya, police seized illicit liquor worth Rs one lakh stored in a farmhouse allegedly belonging to a BJP candidate. Likewise, KR Pet Police seized spirit worth Rs 75,000 from a house allegedly belonging to Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP).

In RT Nagar in the city, 30 persons from Andhra Pradesh, who were allegedly brought for bogus voting, were arrested by the police.

Former Maharashtra chief minister S M Krishna exercised his franchise in Somanahalli in Mandya district.

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