Pics: Yahya Hallare/Silvester D'Souza/Steephan Kayyar

Bengaluru, Apr 23 (IANS): An estimated 65.23 per cent of the 2.43 crore electorate voted on Tuesday in Karnataka's remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats across the western and northern regions, an official said.

"The voter turnout was 65.23 per cent at 6.00 p.m when the polling formally ended. The final turnout will be higher as many voters were still in the queue in several booths when the gates were closed," a senior poll official told IANS.

Maintaining its lead and momentum, Shimoga in Malnad region registered the highest voting among the 14 seats with 73.59 per cent, followed by Chikkodi 72.74 per cent, Uttara Kannada 71.70 per cent and Haveri 70.31 per cent.

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Byndoor and Kundapur

 
North Karnataka 

"Though heavy rains and thunderstorm in many parts of Shimoga late afternoon held back voters from going to the booths, the delay was made up by surge in polling after 4.00 p.m," said the official.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s B.Y. Raghavendra is the candidate in Shimoga against Madhu Bangarappa of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) -- both sons of state's former Chief Ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa of the BJP and late S. Bangarappa of the Congress, respectively.

The least turnout was in Raichur (ST) 56.56 per cent, followed by Gulbarga (ST) 56.86 per cent, Davanagere 59.89 per cent and Bijapur (SC) 60.28 per cent.

Polling percentage in other six seats were 69.25 in Bagalkot, 67.27 in Dharwad, 67.00 in Koppal, 65.65 in Belgaum, 65.17 in Bellary (ST) and 60.51 in Bidar.

"Voting picked up after 4.00 p.m as it dipped when the weather was very hot between 1.00 p.m and 4.00 p.m, as it's peak summer season in the regions where polling is being held," said the official.

Union Minister and BJP's firebrand candidate Anant Kumar Hegde is in the fray for the fourth time from Uttar Kannada.

A Congress leader in the 16th Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge is contesting for a hat-trick from Gulbarga (SC) against BJP's Umesh Jadav.

Earlier report

Bengaluru, Apr 23 (IANS): About 60 per cent votes were cast till 5 p.m in Karnataka's remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats during the third phase of polling amid tight security on Tuesday.

"Average voting percentage touched 60.41 per cent by 5.00 p.m in the 14 constituencies across the state's western and northern regions," an Election Commission (EC) official told IANS here.

Maximum voting of 68.65 per was in Shimoga, followed by 66.73 per cent in Davanagere, 66.27 per cent in Chikkodi and 65.58 per cent in Uttar Kannada.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s B.Y. Raghavendra is the candidate in Shimoga against Madhu Bangarappa of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). Both are sons of state's former Chief Ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa of the BJP and late S. Bangarappa of the Congress, respectively.

The least turnout of 51.75 per cent was in Raichur (ST), followed by 52.18 per cent in Gulbarga (SC), 53.85 per cent in Bijapur (SC) and 56.90 per cent in Bidar.

Polling percentage in other seats were 63.78 in Bagalkot, 63.22 in Haveri, 62.02 in Dharwad, Bellary (ST) 62.02, 60.66 in Koppal and 58.72 in Belgaum.

"Voting picked up after 4.00 p.m as it dipped when the weather was very hot between 1.00 p.m and 4.00 p.m as it's peak summer season in the regions where polling is being held," said the official.

The poll panel expects the final voting to cross 70 per cent, as all who will be at the polling station till 6.00 p.m will be allowed to cast their vote even after the poll time ends formally by then," added the official.

Union Minister and BJP's firebrand candidate Anant Kumar Hegde is in the fray for the fourth time from Uttar Kannada.

A Congress leader in the 16th Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge is contesting for a hat-trick from Gulbarga against BJP's Umesh Jadav.

Earlier report

Bengaluru, April 23 (IANS) An average of 41 per cent votes were cast till 3 p.m. in Karnataka's remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats during the third phase of polling amid tight security on Tuesday.

"Voter turnout after eight hours of polling is 41 per cent average in all the 14 constituencies" in the state's western and northern regions, an Election Commission official told IANS here.

Maximum voting of 50.84 per cent was reported from Uttara Kannada, followed by 49.55 per cent in Bagalkot, 45.15 per cent in Chikkodi and 45.01 per cent in Davanagere.

Union Minister and BJP's firebrand candidate Anant Kumar Hegde is in the fray for the fourth time from Uttar Kannada.

The least turnout of 33.03 per cent was witnessed in hot and humid Gulbarga (SC), followed by 33.14 per cent in Bijapur (SC), Raichur (ST) 35.68 per cent and 36.81 per cent in Belgaum.

Congress leader in the 16th Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge, is contesting for a hat-trick from Gulbarga against BJP's Umesh Jadav.

Polling percentage in other seats were 43.82 in Haveri, 43.72 in Shimoga, 42.65 in Dharwad, 40.69 per cent in Bellary (ST), 39.75 per cent in Bidar and 38.03 per cent in Haveri.

"As the temperatures are above 40 degrees and dry between noon and 4 p.m. voting slowed but will pick up after 4 and is expect to shoot up after 5 p.m. till polling ends at 6," said the official.

Earlier report

Bengaluru, Apr 23 (IANS): Voting picked up in Karnataka's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies to register 21.05 per cent by 12 noon on Tuesday, an official said.

"Moderate to brisk voting was witnessed after 10 a.m. in most of the parliamentary seats as the electorate wanted to avoid the heat because day temperatures soar above 40 degrees Centigrade in the western and northern regions of the state post-noon till 4 p.m.," a poll official told IANS.

According to data received by the state's chief electoral officer here, Shimoga registered 24.78 per cent voting till noon, followed by Chikkodi 24.56 per cent, Bellary (ST) 23.66 per cent and 22.33 per cent in Uttara Kannada.

Least voter turnout of 18.10 per cent was reported from Haveri, followed by Gulbarga (SC) 18.69 per cent, Bijapur (SC) 18.99 per cent and 19.08 per cent in Bidar.

Polling percentage in other seats were 21.80 in Koppal, 21.71 in Bagalkot, 21.48 in Dharwad, 20.51 per cent in Davanagere, 20.04 per cent in Raichur (ST) and 19.99 in Belgaum.

Voting began at 7 a.m. in 28,022 polling stations across the regions.

Glitches in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) in many polling stations delayed voting initially.

Among the early voters were Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit President B.S. Yeddyurappa and his family at Shikaripura in the Shimoga parliamentary seat, and BJP candidate Umesh Jadhav at Chincholi in the Gulbarga (SC) constituency.

Yeddyurappa's son B.Y. Raghavendra is contesting from Shimoga for the third time against Madhu Bangarappa, son of late Congress Chief Minster S. Bangarappa.

Jadhav is contesting against Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is in the fray for a hat trick in the Lok Sabha.

Others who voted by noon include Kharge in Gulbarga (SC), BJP's candidate Pralhad Joshi in Dharwad and BJP's sitting member G.M. Siddeshwar in Davanagere.

An estimated 2.43 crore citizens -- 1.23 crore men, 1.20 crore women and some 10 lakh first time voters in the 18-19 age group -- are on the rolls to exercise their franchise.

"Polling will be held till 6 p.m. in the 14 parliamentary seats across the erstwhile Bombay province and the Hyderabad-Karnataka region," added the official.

The constituencies include Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur (SC), Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga.

The state's chief electoral office has identified 5,605 polling stations as critical with additional police deployment to ensure peaceful polling and avoid any untoward incident.

In all, 237 candidates, including 10 women, are in the fray, with 164 Independents.

With the ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Congress fielding common candidates as part of their pre-poll alliance, the BJP nominees are locked in a straight contest with them after nearly three decades.

While the Congress is contesting Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad and Davanagere seats, the JD-S is fighting in Bijapur (SC), Shimoga and Uttara Kannada.

Union Minister and BJP leader Anant Kumar Hegde is in the fray from Uttara Kannada on the state's west coast against Anand Asnotikar of the JD-S.

In the Bellary (ST) seat, BJP's Devandrappa is facing outgoing Congress member V.S. Ugrappa, who won the seat in the November 2018 by-election.

In Dharwad, Joshi is taking on Vinay Kulkarni of the Congress. In Bidar, Congress state working President Eshwar Khandre is facing sitting BJP member Bhagawanth Khuba.

Union Minister and BJP leader Ramesh Jigajinagi is contesting against JD-S candidate woman leader Sunita Devanand.

The Congress has also fielded woman candidate Veena Kasappanavar in Bagalkot against outgoing BJP MP P.C. Gaddigoudar.

The BJP has not fielded any woman in this phase. Its sitting member Shobha Karandlaje re-contested from Udupi-Chikamagalur in the April 18 polling.