India reaches halfway mark in 2014 polls as fifth phase bids adieu

India called a quarter of its 815 million voters on the biggest day of its staggered election, in areas ranging from Himalayan passes to a southern IT hub and western sugarcane farms. Voting took place in 121 constituencies across 12 states on Thursday, with election materials airlifted to parts of Jammu and Kashmir, while mobile polling stations in vans were used in the deserts of Rajasthan. Deputy Election Commissioner of India, Alok Shukla, said that Karnataka witnessed an increase of 10 percent in voting as compared to 2009.