Hundreds of voters in many constituencies across Karnataka on Sunday boycotted the assembly poll to protest against the 'apathy' of the political parties and the administration, which, they alleged, had let them down.
Election Commission sources here admitted that angry voters in six of the eight assembly segments across Haveri district, about 330 km from Bangalore, stayed away en masse from polling stations and staged protest against parties and officials for not providing them basic facilities such as drinking water and power.
"We have received reports that in many polling booths across Haveri, Chitradurga, Davangere, Kolar and Chikkaballapur, the turnout was nil, as voters decided to boycott the election," an EC official said. Even Soliga tribals in Chamarajanagar district did not cast their ballot in protest against the "indifference" of the authorities to their demands.
In southwest Bangalore, several unhappy voters in the Rajarajeshwarinagar and Anekal assembly segments refused to exercise their franchise as none of their basic needs were met and they were dissatisfied with the choice of candidates in the fray. "Voters are miffed that no elected representatives, including their civic ward corporators visited them or provided amenities such as bitumen roads, water connection and regular power.