Slow and steady, north Karnataka voters turn up at booths

The second phase of polling in Karnataka on Tuesday went on so smoothly that booth officials dressed up in costumes in Shivamogga managed to snag much of the attention.

Not only did the election officials dress up as kings and queens, the booth also had a throne for voters to take selfies flaunting their inked fingers.

Despite the searing heat, people turned up to cast their votes, and the polling percentage breaching the 50% mark by 3 pm. In the last Lok Sabha Election, also held in two phases in 2019, a voter turnout of 68.66% was registered in the 14 constituencies of north Karnataka.

Earlier Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena had told PTI that elaborate planning went into booth management to mitigate any unforeseen incidents.

Explaining, Meena said they had details about the number of young voters, women, servicemen, elderly and disabled voters, and checked whether polling stations are equipped with all facilities or not. Noting the turnout last time, the plan also took into consideration what people were saying about why they did not vote, what they wanted, what should be done to enhance the voter percentage, he said.

According to him, every constituency had five ‘Sakhi booths’ decorated in pink and wholly managed by women polling personnel.

Apart from the Sakhi booths, there were also ‘Go Green’ booths that were decorated to create awareness about the climate crisis.

Meanwhile, just as Bengaluru saw a host of shops and restaurants offer discounts and freebies to encourage people to vote, a liquor shop in Hubballi has promised discounts for those who vote.

KarnatakaWines Shop on Kusugal Road has announced that people with inked fingers will get a 3% discount on MRP on May 8, the day after polling.