Estimated 10 to 15 per cent voters turnout in first three hours of polling in Karnataka Assembly polls

Bengaluru: An estimated 10 to 15 per cent of over five crore  electorate, including 2.5 crore women, turned out in the first three  hours of polling in the elections to the 15th Karnataka Assembly which  began on a peaceful note.While rural areas reported heavy  turnouts, the urban citizens continued to show their apathy towards the  electoral process and were only fewer in numbers.

According to  preliminary reports received by the authorities here the turnout was  heavy in the coastal regions with Udupi district reporting 15 per cent  by 0930 hrs and Daksihna Kannada district recording 16 per cent.  In  other areas the polling ranged between 13 and ten per cent. In Bengaluru  Urban the polling was a mere nine per cent.

Despite the best of  the efforts by the election officials, in some areas complaints of  missing voters name were reported and in some areas due to  malfunctioning of EVMs polling was delayed. In a polling booth in  Holenarasipur, former Prime Minister H D Devegowda had to wait for a  while to cast his vote.

Overnight heavy rains cast a shadow when polling commenced this morning in the city. Some of the areas were waterlogged.Among  the early voters included Union Ministers D V Sadananda Gowda in  Puttur,  Anantkumar in Basavanagudi in the city, Congress President Dr G  Parameshwar in Koratagere and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in  Siddaramanadhodi in Mysore.

According to police, polling was being held in a peaceful manner and no untoward incident reported so far.As  many as 2622 candidates were in the fray for 222 seats with elections  countermanded in Jayanagar in the city due to death of BJP candidate B N  Vijayakumar and deferred in Rajarajeshwarinagar to May 28 due to  attempt to intimidate voters through inducements.Counting would be taken up on May 15.(UNI)