Amid the second phase of voting in the country, Karnataka witnessed an estimated 22.34 percent voter turnout since voting began in 14 constituencies on Friday. Long lines were seen at polling booths as people, especially senior citizens and morning walkers, came out to vote, since the voting began at 7 a.m. Several prominent personalities from the states, too, joined the queue to exercise their franchise.
IT industry veteran Narayan Murthy, his wife and member of Rajya Sabha Sudha Murthy, cricket legend Rahul Dravid, former Prime Minister and JD(S) President HD Deve Gowda, and Bollywood actor Prakash Raj, among others exercised their right of responsibility.
Speaking to the media following the casting of her vote, author, philanthropist and Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murthy urged people to come out of their homes and vote in large number. She said, "We get this right to vote once every five years. We have to exercise this right responsibly and with a lot of thought. No one should let go of this opportunity."
Calling it "Matadana Shreshta Daana," the Rajya Sabha member said , more and more people should come out and vote. She further added that 77-year-old Infosys founder Narayan Murthy came to vote despite his ill health.
"Narayana Murthy was unwell, and he was in the hospital. We got him discharged, and after voting, we are taking him home," Sudha Murthy said.
Meanwhile, IT industry veteran N. R. Narayana Murthy, speaking to the media too, urged people, especially the youth and first-time voters, to come out and vote in large numbers. Former cricketer and Indian men's cricket too echoed his support for the voting call. Rahul Dravid said this is an opportunity for everyone to participate and take forward democracy.
"Everyone must come out and vote. It is an opportunity we get in a democracy," he added.
Meanwhile, a total of 14 out of 28 seats in Karnataka are undergoing polls in the second phase of the elections. The seats of Udupi Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur, and Kolar are voting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday.
In Karnataka, key candidates include the BJP's Shobha Karandlaje, Tejasvi Surya, PC Mohan, CN Manjunath, and Govind Karjol. DK Suresh, Rajeev Gowda, Soumya Reddy, BN Chandrappa, and K Jayaprakash Hegde of Congress and Janata Dal Secular's (JDS) HD Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are also in the fray. Mandya, Hassan, Mysore, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore South, Bangalore North, and Dakshina Kannada are key seats in Karnataka going to the polls in Phase II.
