Over 25 per cent voting in Karnataka election by noon

BANGALORE: Over 25 per cent of the 1.17 crore electorate cast their votes across 69 constituencies in eight districts of North Karnataka region by noon in the third and final phase of Karnataka assembly elections today.

The election process remained trouble-free so far, police sources said.

Political parties perceive that which ever party wins more seats in this phase, can expect a smooth passage to the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power.

While BJP and Congress enjoy sizeable influence in this region, JDS led by former prime minister H D Devegowda is also eying to win some seats in this belt, to push up its tally and once again emerge a key player in government formation.

However, the level of confidence among BJP and Congress had been high as the front-ranking leaders of these parties have been claiming to grab a lion's share of the 69 seats.

BJP, which bagged more than 30 seats in this region in the last poll, is hoping to win more than 40 seats in its strongholds like Dharwad, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur and Bidar.