The presiding officer at a polling booth in Chamnur village of Karnataka’s Chittapur town was changed following a complaint alleging voter manipulation, according to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka.
Congress MLA Priyank Kharge shared a post on Twitter alleging that polling was stopped in booth number 178 as the presiding officer was “prompting/influencing people to vote for BJP”. Kharge is the incumbent MLA from Chittapur.
In response, the the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka said, "The Presiding Office is changed immediately based on the complaint received and polling is continued. Due action will be taken against the officer as per law."
Voting began at 7 am across the state and it will end at 6 pm. The results for the election will be declared on May 13.
A voter turnout of 8.26 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling, according to Election Commission data.
The highest percentage was in the coastal district of Udupi (13.28 per cent) and the lowest in Chamarajanagar district (5.75 per cent) till 9 am.
(With inputs from PTI)
