50% turnout in first phase of polls in K`taka

Of the 224 Assembly segments in the state, 66 will go to polls in the second phase on May 16 and the remaining 69 in the third phase on May 22.

Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse a group of persons who apparently were trying to cast bogus votes at Chickpet. In several areas, voters protested deletion of their names.

A 58,000-strong security personnel kept a close watch on the polling which passed off peacefully, official sources said.

The poll prospects of 953 candidates including former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, his brother HD Revanna, Union minister Ambarish, former ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu, GT Devegowda, R Ashok, G Parameshwara, former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah, N Cheluvarayaswamy, actor Jaggesh and DK Shivakumar were sealed in the EVMs.

The voters' response in Bangalore City, which has 28 assembly segments was poor, was about 50 per cent, according to initial reports from electoral authorities. Polling was brisk in Bangalore Rural, Kolar, Hassan, Ramanagar and Chamarajnagar.

Technical snags delaying and disrupting the poll process for brief spells has been reported from several places. Karnataka is the first state to go to election under the delimitation of constituencies in the country.