Ktk 2nd phase polling peaceful, 60% turn out

About 60% of an estimated 1.10 crore electorate exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling.

About 60 per cent of an estimated 1.10 crore electorate exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling in 66 constituencies across ten districts in Karnataka on Friday in a by and large trouble free atmosphere, amid unprecedented security cover.

The security has been tightened in the light of Thursday’s poll-related violence in which naxalites shot dead two persons in Hebri in Udupi district and also some clashes between Congress and BJP workers in Bellary.

More than 56,000-strong security personnel’s presence acted as a deterrent to trouble makers and also to naxal outfits which had given a call to voters to boycott polling in the districts of Udupi, Chikmagalur and Shimoga.

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Every polling station in areas which faced the threat were turned into a fortress by security men and voters turned up in good numbers defying the boycott call.

No untoward incident was reported from the highly sensitive Bellary district, following scaling up of protection in the wake of an alleged attack on a congress worker by BJP leader and former minister B Sriramulu on Thursday.

Barring two minor incidents of damaging EVMs, voting went on trouble free, police said.

In the first phase on May 10, an average of 66 per cent polling was recorded in 89 assembly constituencies.

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Voters sealed the poll fortunes of 589 aspirants including BJP Chief Ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, his opponent in Shikaripura, S Bangarappa of Samajwadi party, former Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash, locked in a fierce battle against BJP MP, G Karunakara Reddy in Davanagere’s Harappanahalli segment and senior Congress leader R V Deshpande, bidding for seventh consecutive victory from his bastion Haliyal in Uttara Kannada district.