Voting for Karnataka Assembly elections underway

Voting for the Karnataka Assembly elections is underway. A voter turnout of 8.26 percent was recorded in the first two hours of the polling till 9 a.m.

The highest voting percentage of 13.28 was recorded in the coastal district of Udupi, and the lowest of 5.75 percent in Chamarajanagar district till 9 a.m.

Polling began at 7 a.m., and will continue till 6 p.m.

A total of 2,615 candidates are in fray for 224 assembly constituencies. Voting is being held at 58 thousand 545 polling stations.

Sources reports that senior leaders of the major political parties have cast their vote and made an appeal to the citizens to come and vote.

Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai and ex-Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa exercised their franchise with their family.

Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman voted in a polling booth in Bengaluru. BJP MP from Bengaluru Tejasvi Surya also exercised his franchise in Bengaluru.

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Jagdish Shettar have also cast their votes and appealed to people to vote in big numbers.

Long queues of voters are being witnessed at most of the polling booths as the day progresses. Young voters are also coming in good numbers to exercise their franchise.

The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements to conduct free and fair elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has appealed to the young and urban electors to come forward and participate actively in the festival of democracy.

The Election Commission has also introduced Chunavana Mobile app and Voter Helpline app to facilitate voters in the polling process.

These apps provide real-time updates about the queue and parking space availability at polling stations.

Essential facilities like drinking water, toilets, ramps, wheelchair, electricity, volunteers, shades, help desks and parking facilities have been provided at all the polling stations in the state.

The counting of votes will take place on 13th of May. Karnataka had recorded a voter turnout of 72.36 percent in the last Assembly election in 2018.