70 per cent turn out in Karnata assembly polls; exit polls predict win for Congress

The high-stakes Karnataka assembly elections saw a 70 per cent voter turnout today, the Election Commission said in New Delhi. The last assembly election in 2013 had witnessed 71.4 per cent polling, it said.

The polling figure is likely to go up as some voters were still queued up at the polling stations after 6 pm. In what is projected as a tight race, voting was held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s JD(S).

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray– more than 2400 men and and over 200 women. There are a total of 5,06,90,538, voters of whom 2,56,75,579 male voters, 2,50,09,904 female and 5,055 transgender voters.

Counting of votes will take place on May 15.