Karnataka Polling: Sporadic Clashes During Polling Process in Ballari, Bengaluru 

Bengaluru: As the polling was underway at brisk pace at the polling booth for the 224-seat Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday, a clash broke out between BJP and Congress workers at a polling booth in Ballari district. It is reported that Congress leader Umesh Yadav and several party workers were injured in the clash. 

In another incident at Gangavati central constituency,  BJP workers allegedly clashed with the f Karnataka Rajya Pragathi Paksha Party (KRPP) workers. Similarly, the workers of both BJP and Congress came to blows in Lakkasandra of BTM Layout assembly constituency. In Padmanabha Nagar, a fight broke out between the two groups near the polling booth. The police have said it was a verbal fight and the situation is under control. 

In an unrelated incident, two voters died during the polling process. An elderly woman died while waiting for her turn to cast her vote at a polling centre in Yarzarvi village under Savadatti assembly constituency. The 68-year-old deceased was identified as Paravva Sidnal. In another incident, a 49-year-old man Jayanna died minutes after voting at Chikkole in Belur. 

In Vijayanagara, people manhandled the officials who were carrying the EVM machines before the conclusion of polls. According to reports, there were additional EVMs at a polling booth and the election officials were carrying them outside the booth. The voters mistook it for replacing EVM machines during the polling process and destroyed it. The police have detained 15 persons for destroying the voting machines. 

In Masanibala village of Basavanabagevadi constituency of Vijayapura district, police arrested 23 people for manhandling the election officials and damaging the 2 control units, 2 ballot units and 2 VVPATs. 

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(With agency inputs)