About 20 to 25 per cent of the 2.26 crore electorate registered their choice through EVMs in the first phase of elections in 15 Lok Sabha and 120 assembly constituencies by noon in Karnataka.
With people preferring to exercise their franchise before the day turns hot, large queues were witnessed in several polling stations in the early hours, official sources said.
Brisk polling has been reported from parts of Kolar Lok Sabha constituency where 25 per cent of voters turnout has been reported and the process remained sedate in Gulbarga which recorded only 10 per cent of polling till noon.
Polling being held under the watchful eyes of 43,000 odd police personnel remained incident free so far, police said.
The electoral fortunes of Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna (Chamarajpet assembly seat) , Union Minister of state Railways, Basavana Gouda Patil Yatnal (Bijapur), Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda (Kanakapura) and state unit BJP President Anantkumar (Bangalore South) will be decided today.
The Lok Sabha constituencies-- Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Koppal, Bellary, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Chikkaballapur ,Kolar (Res), Kanakapura, Bangalore North, Bangalore South, Bagalkot and Bijapur and 120 assembly segments falling under them are involved in the first phase of polling.
{{/usCountry}}The Lok Sabha constituencies-- Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Koppal, Bellary, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Chikkaballapur ,Kolar (Res), Kanakapura, Bangalore North, Bangalore South, Bagalkot and Bijapur and 120 assembly segments falling under them are involved in the first phase of polling.
{{/usCountry}}13 Lok Sabha and 104 assembly constituencies go to polls in the second phase on April 26.