World | India
55% voting during second phase of Karnataka polls
About 55 per cent of over 11 million eligible voters exercised their franchise on Thursday in 66 constituencies in 10 districts of Karnataka in the second phase of elections to the 224-member state legislature.
- IANS
- Published: 23:39 May 16, 2008
Bangalore: About 55 per cent of over 11 million eligible voters exercised their franchise on Thursday in 66 constituencies in 10 districts of Karnataka in the second phase of elections to the 224-member state legislature.
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party are the main players in districts that voted in the second phase but the Janata Dal-Secular headed by former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda has campaigned hard to break the dominance of the two major national parties.
Important phase of polls
The second phase is of high importance for the BJP given that its chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yediyurappa is squared up against former chief minister and state Samajwadi Party president S. Bangarappa in Shikaripura, about 330km from Bangalore.
Just hours before the polling began, Maoist rebels shot and killed two people in the state, police said yesterday.
The Maoists, who say they are fighting on behalf of the landless poor, have called for a boycott of the election but few voters have paid any heed.
Maoist strike
One of the victims was a teacher suspected by the Maoists of being a police informer, police said. He was shot on Thursday night as he returned home on a motorbike in a village about 380km from Bangalore.
The results of the polls will be seen as a pointer to the fortunes of the Congress party, which leads the coalition government at the centre, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the main opposition, in forthcoming general elections.
Voting, which began with the first phase on May 10, has been staggered to allow security forces to be deployed across the state to ensure a fair election.
Maoist rebels operate in a large swathe of the country stretching from the east to some southern states, and target government officials and property.
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