Will Bangalore get over its apathy and vote today?

With the Karnataka polls underway, all eyes are on the state capital Bangalore which has had a notoriously low voter turnout in past elections. In the last state assembly polls, held in 2008, only around 40 percent of the city’s registered voters actually exercised their franchise. And on Sunday morning, voter turnout remained low, although there is some hope that polling would pick up later in the day. [caption id=“attachment_752763” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] Voting in the state has been extended to 6pm, owing to weather conditions - particularly extreme heat. As the state capital, Bangalore has the largest number of voters - 7.03 million out of a total population of 10 million, and the highest number of assembly segments - 28. The election commission has launched an active campaign in the state, sending text messages and letters to the city’s residents, asking them to go out and vote. Kannada actress Ramya, who is contesting the polls this time, said that the citizens of Bangalore who had almost continuous complaints about the infrastructure and administration of the city would have no right to complain if they were not willing to go out and vote. In a short interview with CNN-IBN, Ramya said that it was time Bangalore’s public got over its urban apathy and actually take a proactive step towards changing the current situation. Former Karnataka Lokayuyta head justice Santosh Hegde also appealed to voters to go out and excercise their franchise. Among the eligible voters in this tech hub, 534,548 are new, as they enrolled for this election since January. The polls are being seen as vital for both the Congress and the BJP. Pre-poll surveys conducted a month ago, when the candidates’ lists had not been finalised, pointed to a thumping victory for the Congress, but more recent surveys, particularly those undertaken  after Modi’s whistle-stop tour of Karnataka, indicate  a tightening of the race.