Polling begins amidst tight security in Karnataka

Bangalore, May 10: Polling for the first phase of Karnataka Assembly polls began today amidst tight security. Polling will take place in eighty-nine constituencies spread over eleven districts in the southern part of the state. The Election Commission has recognised nineteen documents as alternative for Election Photo Identity Cards EPIC for polling.

A total of 953 candidates, including seventeen women are in fray. Elaborate security and administrative arrangements have been made by the Election Commission (EC) in the districts of Tumkur, Bangalore, Bangalore rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagara, Mandya, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysore and Chamarajanagar for the polls.

Besides the state police, security personnel from neighbouring states and nearly two hundred companies of Central Para-Military forces have been deployed in the segments going to polls on Saturday. The EC has set up more than 18,000 polling centres where nearly 17.3 million voters have franchise to cast their vote. The commission has deployed thousands of micro observers to check bogus voting and restraining miscreants from destabilising poll process.

Over 100,000 state and central government and public sector officials have been engaged to conduct the poll. Meanwhile electioneering has begun in the segments going to poll for second phase.

ANI