<p>The fiercely fought elections in the second phase comprising 14 Lok Sabha segments, mostly in the northern part of the state, witnessed an estimated 67% polling on Tuesday.</p>.<p>With this, Karnataka’s overall voter turnout in both phases of polling stands at 68% and this may increase further after figures are finalised, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar said. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka’s voter turnout was 67.20%.</p>.<p>Voters turned up in large numbers to exercise their franchise braving temperatures that soared over 40 degrees Celsius in many districts of north Karnataka.</p>.<p>Polling was the highest in the Shimoga Lok Sabha segment at 76.26%. This, despite some disruptions due to heavy rain and thunderstorms. Shimoga was followed by Chikkodi that saw 75.42% of voters exercising their right.</p>.<p>While Shimoga is a matter of prestige for BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa whose son B Y Raghavendra was up against Madhu Bangarappa of the JD(S)-Congress coalition, Chikkodi witnessed hectic campaigning with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing massive rallies here just before the polls. </p>.<p>Voter turnout was the lowest in Raichur at 57.85% and Gulbarga at 58.27%.</p>.<p>The voter turnout was 67.44% in the second phase, according to the Election Commission’s official mobile app.</p>.<p>But according to figures released by the CEO, the voter turnout in these 14 seats was 65.64% as on 7 pm Tuesday.</p>.<p>While polling was largely peaceful, minor skirmishes between Congress and BJP workers were reported in Bagalkot, Chikkodi and Ballari town.</p>.<p>Also, several cases of electronic voting machines (EVMs) malfunctioning were reported, but authorities managed to rectify the issue or replace the faulty machines.</p>.<p>“We had to replace 214 ballot units and 143 control units — the lowest replacement rate nationally. But we have had to replace 1,611 voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines, which is among the highest across India. Most of the VVPAT replacement happened in Gulbarga due to high temperature,” Kumar explained.</p>.<p>In both phases of the election, as many as eight polling personnel died — seven due to cardiac arrest and one in a road accident, Kumar said.</p>
<p>The fiercely fought elections in the second phase comprising 14 Lok Sabha segments, mostly in the northern part of the state, witnessed an estimated 67% polling on Tuesday.</p>.<p>With this, Karnataka’s overall voter turnout in both phases of polling stands at 68% and this may increase further after figures are finalised, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar said. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka’s voter turnout was 67.20%.</p>.<p>Voters turned up in large numbers to exercise their franchise braving temperatures that soared over 40 degrees Celsius in many districts of north Karnataka.</p>.<p>Polling was the highest in the Shimoga Lok Sabha segment at 76.26%. This, despite some disruptions due to heavy rain and thunderstorms. Shimoga was followed by Chikkodi that saw 75.42% of voters exercising their right.</p>.<p>While Shimoga is a matter of prestige for BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa whose son B Y Raghavendra was up against Madhu Bangarappa of the JD(S)-Congress coalition, Chikkodi witnessed hectic campaigning with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing massive rallies here just before the polls. </p>.<p>Voter turnout was the lowest in Raichur at 57.85% and Gulbarga at 58.27%.</p>.<p>The voter turnout was 67.44% in the second phase, according to the Election Commission’s official mobile app.</p>.<p>But according to figures released by the CEO, the voter turnout in these 14 seats was 65.64% as on 7 pm Tuesday.</p>.<p>While polling was largely peaceful, minor skirmishes between Congress and BJP workers were reported in Bagalkot, Chikkodi and Ballari town.</p>.<p>Also, several cases of electronic voting machines (EVMs) malfunctioning were reported, but authorities managed to rectify the issue or replace the faulty machines.</p>.<p>“We had to replace 214 ballot units and 143 control units — the lowest replacement rate nationally. But we have had to replace 1,611 voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines, which is among the highest across India. Most of the VVPAT replacement happened in Gulbarga due to high temperature,” Kumar explained.</p>.<p>In both phases of the election, as many as eight polling personnel died — seven due to cardiac arrest and one in a road accident, Kumar said.</p>