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. (Agencies)
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