The second phase of the Lok Sabha polls kicked off on Friday, with minor incidents in Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, and Chikkamagaluru like voting machine malfunctioning and VV Pad problems. Karnataka has recorded a voter turnout of nearly 64% till 5 pm. Till 1 pm the state turnout was 39.1%. While Dakshina Kannada recorded the highest turnout, the lowest was at Bangalore Central.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, software industry icon N R Narayana Murthy, Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South, and cricketer Rahul Dravid were among the early voters today. Nirmala Sitharaman appealed to people to come out of their homes and vote. Speaking to the media after voting, she said, “People want stability. India wants to see development. The achievement of 10 years of central government is in people’s minds. People’s enthusiasm can be seen in voting, she added. Sitharam who arrived at the polling booth, stood in a queue and cast her vote. She was accompanied by her maternal uncle at the polling booth. Sitharaman voted at a polling station in Jayanagar in the Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency.