Election Commission sources said that angry voters in six of the eight assembly segments across Haveri district stayed away en masse and staged sit-in demos against parties and officials for not providing them basic facilities such as drinking water and power at a time they were reeling under drought. “We have received reports that in many polling booths across Haveri, Chitradurga, Davangere, Kolar and Chikkaballapur, the turnout was nil, as voters decided to boycott the election,” an EC official said.

Overcoming hurdles: A physically disabled person doesn’t allow his handicap from letting himself exercise his right. He is helped out of a booth after he casts his vote during the Karnataka polls