About 45 per cent polling recorded till 1500 hrs in II phase

Bangalore, May 16 (UNI) An approximate of 45 per cent of peaceful polling was recorded till 1500 hours for the second phase elections in 66 assembly seats, to the Karnataka assembly being held today.

According to official sources the polling was brisk in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Chickmagalur, Shimoga and Davanagere districts, it is moderate in Raichur, Chitradurga, Bellary and Koppal.

No any untoward incidents are reported from elsewhere in those districts which are going to poll today. The situation was normal in Naxal infested areas in Udupi, Chickmagalur and Shimoga districts where people came out to exercise their franchise despite call to boycott the poll by the extremists Maoist groups.

Chief Electoral Officer, M N Vidyashankar informed newspersons that except complaints of finding no names in voters list in few polling stations the polling was being held in a most peaceful manner in all the districts including bordering Bellary district.

The villagers of Halavenkatapura in Raichur Rural assembly constituency have reportedly boycotted the polling in protest against neglecting development of their village by the successive governments.

In high profile Shikaripur Assembly seat, the home constituency of BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, over 300 people registered their protest for missing of their names in the voters list which made them to deny in participating in the process of election.

In Shimoga rural assembly constituency, the Holehasanawadi polling station the BJP activists accused that a polling officer was involved in canvassing for Congress. Senior officials rushed to the village and pacified the protestors.

In Shikaripur assembly seat, which is witnessing one of the hard pressed political battle between two senior stalwarts of Karnataka politics Mr B S Yeddyurappa (BJP) and state SP president S Bangarappa the polling was seen brisk in almost all the polling stations.

In a tragic incident one middle aged woman standing in the que to cast her vote reportedly developed giddiness and collapsed to death at Nallur village in Karkala assembly seat this afternoon.

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