Polling is underway in Karnataka on Sunday for the second phase of elections to 2,709 gram panchayats in 109 taluks.
Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 5 p.m. in 20,728 booths.
As many as 1.05 lakh candidates are in the fray for 39,378 seats in the second phase. The first phase of polling was held on December 22. In all, elections are being held for 5,762 seats in the State.
The elections are happening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with precautions, and those who have tested positive or are suspected to be infected can vote in the last hour of polling.
Counting of votes is on December 30.
Though panchayat polls are held without party symbols, party-backed candidates are fielded and the polls serve as a barometer for ground support for parties. In the 2015 elections, the then ruling Congress had claimed that candidates backed by it had won a majority of seats in GPs in more than 20 districts.
