V-Day in Karnataka

SUMMARY

Karnataka is voting to elect the 15th legislative assembly in a three-cornered contest on Saturday. Denizens of Bengaluru were seen lined up outside polling booths from 6.30 a.m. to beat the rush in casting their ballots as voting began at 7 a.m. In all, voting is being conducted across 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city. The state has over 5.06-crore electorate, including 2.56-crore men, 2.5-crore women and over 5,000 who identify themselves as the third gender. A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered to cast their ballot for the first time. Voting is being held in 58,008 polling stations of 30 districts across the state, with 600 of them as pink booths, manned by all-women personnel, and 28 ethnic booths.

By CNBC-TV18May 12, 2018 1:51:15 PM IST (Updated)

An Indian paramilitary soldier arrives with his belongings for duty outside a polling station set up inside a school on the eve of state elections in Bangalore, India, Friday, May 11, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka will go to polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

An Indian Hindu woman stands with burqa clad Muslim women as they wait outside a polling station to cast their votes in Bangalore, India, Saturday, May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka headed to the polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers ahead of country's general elections in 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Indian Muslim women line up outside a polling station to cast their votes in Bangalore, India, Saturday, May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka headed to the polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers ahead of country's general elections in 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

A polling officer, right, monitors the electronic voting machine as a woman casts her vote at a polling station in Bangalore, India, Saturday, May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka headed to the polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers ahead of country's general elections in 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

An Indian woman leaves after casting her vote at a polling station set up inside a school in Bangalore, India, Saturday, May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka headed to the polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers ahead of country's general elections in 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

A polling officer marks the finger of a woman voter with indelible ink at a polling station in Bangalore, India, Saturday, May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka headed to the polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers ahead of country's general elections in 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

An Indian Hindu woman, right, stands with a burqa clad Muslim woman as they wait outside a polling station to caste their votes in Bangalore, India, Saturday, May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka headed to the polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers ahead of country's general elections in 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

A woman police official stands guard as women voters wait outside a polling station decorated with pink balloons and managed by only women officials in Bangalore, India, Saturday, May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka headed to the polls Saturday to elect 224 lawmakers ahead of country's general elections in 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wears a traditional headgear presented to him during an election campaign rally in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Modi is in Karnataka to campaign for his Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of Karnataka state elections which are scheduled to be held on May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

India's Congress party president Rahul Gandhi, in white, holds a replica of Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinder with a photograph of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on it as he joins his supporters who were protesting against the rising gas prizes, while campaigning for upcoming legislative elections in Malur, 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Bangalore, India, Monday, May 7, 2018. Gandhi is in Karnataka to campaign for his Indian National Congress party ahead of state elections which are scheduled to be held on May 12, 2018. The writing in Kannada reads "Shun Modi government; responsible for increase of cooking gas cylinder price to rupees 814" (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)