Udupi-Chikmagalur Bypoll Records 68.26 Percent Turnout

Hemanath Padubidri / Suvarna Brahmavar
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi

Udupi, Mar 18: At the end of the day, 68.26 percent voting was recorded in the Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency. The polling ended at 5 pm on Sunday March 18.

After a slow start, the polling picked up pace later in the day. By 4 pm, the polling reached 56 percent.

The voting percentage is as follows:

Chikmagalur - 59.19
Udupi - 72.50
Kaup - 69.51
Karkala - 74.12
Sringeri - 73.93
Tarikere - 58.75
Moodigere - 65.60
Kundapur - 73.08

Though the voting was largely peaceful, a few minor clashes were reported from Malpe and Tonse between BJP and Congress activists.

The voting machines will be taken by the poll officials to TMA Pai English Medium School, Kunjibettu, where counting will be held on March 21.

Sri Vishweshateerth Swamiji of Pejavar Mutt cast his vote at a voting booth a Udupi north. MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary cast his vote at the poll booth in Kotatattu gam panchayat building here.

In Naxal-hit areas, sources said people have been hesistant to leave their houses out of fear of the heavy security arrangments. Citizens are feeling intimidated at the mere sight of the armed policemen, sources said.  BSF personnel and local police have been deployed in Naxal-affected areas like Kabbinale, Seetanadi, Hebri and Someshwar.

However, sources said that voting in these Naxal-affected areas picked up later in the afternoon and evening.

In Alevoor, a minor protest was reported after several migrant workers, reportedly from Rajasthan, were stopped from voting. They claimed that despite issuing their details beforehand to secure the EPICs, the administration had not responded to them.

Udupi: Over 44 Percent Cast Votes in Bypoll by Afternoon

Update: 2 pm

Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency recorded an overall polling percentage of 44.23 percent at 2 pm here on Sunday March 18.

The polling percentages are as follows:

Kundapur - 44.29 %
Udupi - 49.23 %
Kaup - 43.56 %
Karkala - 45.86 %
Sringeri - 40.67 %
Moodigere - 64.88 %
Chikmagalur - 41.45 %
Tarikere - 43.89 %

PTI Adds:

Over 31 per cent of the 12.53 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 1 PM in the bypoll to the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat, where ruling BJP is locked in a bitter contest with Congress and JDS.

Of the total of 1633 polling stations, 231 have been categorised as hyper-sensitive and 788 sensitive. Extra police personnel have been posted in 77 Naxal-hit areas.

The bypoll was necessitated after D V Sadananda Gowda vacated his parliamentary seat following his elevation as Karnataka Chief Minister.

This is the second bypoll being held in the state after Gowda assumed office.
BJP has fielded former Karakala MLA Sunil Kumar, while former minister K Jayaprakash Hegde is the Congress nominee and Bojegowda is the JDS candidate. A total of 14 candidates are in the fray.

The run up to the bypoll saw fierce campaigning by the three major parties, with Gowda criss-crossing the constituency to ensure BJP retains the seat despite consistent attempts by former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to get himself reinstated ever since he was forced to demit office after the Lokayukta report on illegal mining indicted him.

Yeddyurappa had recently said he would not ask the high command for Chief Ministership and it is 'a closed chapter.'

The former Chief Minister did not campaign for the bypoll, irked over the BJP high command turning down his demand for a "suitable position" in the state unit.
BJP had finished a poor third in the November 2011 Bellary bypoll, which saw former minister B Sreeramulu contesting as an independent and winning by a huge margin ahead of Congress.

Counting will be taken up on March 21.

Earlier Update

Udupi-Chikmagalur Bypoll - Citizens Line up as Voting Begins

Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi

Udupi, Mar 18: After days of canvassing and trying every trick in the book to woo the voters, the day finally dawned when the people of Udupi would make their decision.

On Sunday March 18, people across the Udupi-Chikmagalur consitutuency flocked to voting booths to cast their vote and elect their leader.

The polling has been dull in the first three hours of the morning, with only 10 percent of the electorate casting their votes.

The voting started at 8 am, later than the usual 6 am start. Since it is a holiday everywhere, the queue is expected to grow larger later in the day. However, some feel that the India versus Pakistan Asia Cup encounter in the afternoon may deter voters from coming out of their homes.

Rajya Sabha MP Oscar Fernandes and his wife Blossom cast their votes at Ambalpady.

BJP candidate Sunil Kumar and his wife Priyanka visted various temples and prayed for success.

The voting is taking place amidst heavy security. There are strict rules in places about entering the voting booth, and apart from one party flag, nothing can be put on display.

In all, there are 12,53,589 voters in the constituency. Out of the 1,633 polling stations, 231 have been declared hyper-sensitive, 788 sensitive, while 77 booths are in naxal-hit areas.