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The Phase II of Karnataka Assembly elections witnessed 60 percent voter turn out on Friday, May 16, 2008. The people of Karnataka cast their mandate for 66 seats of the Karnataka Assembly held across ten districts of the southern state. M.N. Vidyashankar, Chief Electoral officer remarked that the polling average was 60.3 percent. In the first phase of polling held on May 10 for 89 seats, 63.3 percent of polling was recorded.
An estimated 1.10 crore of Karnataka electorate exercised its franchise on Friday. The polling in the 66 constituencies took place amidst heavy security owing to Thursday’s poll related violence in which Naxalites shot dead two persons in Udupi district. Incidents of clashes were also reported between Congress and BJP workers in Bellary.
The polling stations on Friday, where incidents of violence were expected were turned into virtual fortresses. Special anti-naxalite police forces apart from state Police and Central paramilitary forces were deployed for Friday’s polling. The voters also turned up in large numbers defying the boycott call. No untoward incident was reported from the sensitive Bellary district. The important candidates who figured in the second phase of Karnataka Assembly elections are former chief ministers of Karnataka including BJP’s B.S. Yeddyurappa and SP’s S. Bangarappa.
