Karnataka assembly elections: 5 crore voters to cast votes at 58,000 polling stations

BENGALURU: For the state assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 12, over eight lakh new applications have been received.

Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar said, “There are 4.96 registered voters and we have received 8 lakh new applications. Considering this, over 5 crore voters are expected to cast  their votes at 58,000 polling stations across the state.”

He was addressing the ‘Meet the Press’ organised by Bengaluru Reporters Guild in association with Bengaluru Press Club on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the CEO ensured that all polling stations are in the ground floor, considering the inconvenience caused for specially challenged voters in the previous elections, due to the polling stations situated at first and second floors. “During previous elections, around 850 polling stations were in the first floor and this caused inconvenience to aged and specially challenged voters. This time, we have made it mandatory to have all polling stations at the ground floor,” mentioned Kumar.

Over increasing the election expenditure fixed to each candidate, the Chief Electoral Officer said that the have no rights to take such decisions.