Polling in Karnataka's 14 constituencies for the second phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections went smoothly without any major incidents of violence or disruptions in the state, although glitches in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were initially reported. The final voting percentage declared by Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer is 67.89%.
Polling highest in Mandya, lowest in Bengaluru
The highest polling -- 80.23 % -- was registered in the high-profile Mandya seat where Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, contested against actor Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
After Mandya, Dakshina Kannada recorded the second highest polling percentage (77.69 %), followed by Hassan (77.28%), Tumakuru (77.01%), Chikkaballapur (76.27%), Kolar (SC) [75.94%] and Udupi-Chikmagalur (75.24%).
The lowest polling - 50.31 % - was recorded in India's tech hub in Bengaluru Central, followed by 50.85% in Bengaluru North and 54.23% in Bengaluru South. Bengaluru Rural, on the other hand, saw 64.09% polling.
The polling percentage in the other seats are: Chamarajanagar (73.45%), Chitradurga (SC) [70.59%] and Mysuru-Kodagu at 68.85%.
The seats that went for polls in this phase are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar. Out of the 14 seats, three seats — Kolar, Chamarajanagar and Chitradurga - are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates.
Stray incidents
In Mandya, a minor fight broke out between the supporters of the JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy and those of the independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh. Before the fight escalated, the police responded and contained the situation.
In another tragic incident, a 53-year-old polling official, who was deployed for election duty in Chamarajanagar, died after suffering cardiac arrest on Thursday while on duty. The deceased, identified as Shanthamurthy, was a lecturer at the Government Pre-University College in Hanur. According to Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner BB Kaveri, Shanthamurthy was deployed for election duty at booth number 48 as a reserved staff member.