Karnataka: 25 percent voting recorded till noon

"We expect a heavy turnout in the evening till 6 p.m. at all polling stations. Though all gates to booths will be shut at 6 p.m., we will allow all present in booths by 6 p.m. to cast vote," Jha said.

There were reports of a few hundreds of voters boycotting poll in one or two villages in Chamarajagar, Mysore, Gulbarga and Tumkur seats as a mark of protest against denial of social benefits and absence of basic amenities such as water, roads and power supply.

Unlike in past, polling is being held in single phase on one day across the state.

The state has 46 million registered voters, constituting 70 percent of the population (64 million).

As India's tech hub, Bangalore has 6.3 million voters out of nine-million people.