Updated

Bengaluru, Aug 22 (NDTV): Voting for Bengaluru's municipal body known as the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike or BBMP ended today without any improvement over previous polls' 44 per cent turnout, underscoring once again the city's apathy to polls.

Disappointment with the running candidates was a common complaint of voters, many of whom said they wanted to see a none-of-the-above or NOTA button on the electronic voting machines.

Well-known freedom fighter H S Doraiswamy, 97, who came to the Jayanagar polling booth, said "I am not happy with the candidates. I wish there was a NOTA option. It is a case of choosing the least bad among the lot, but it is my duty to vote."

Prominent Bengaluru citizens also urged voters to come out and vote.

At a polling booth Infosys co-founder NR Narayanamurthy told NDTV, "The first step in cleaning up our city is coming out to vote. If you don't vote you should not complain."

"The mayor should have such quality that he should be able to become prime minister. And the mayor should have a 5 year term," Murthy said. Bad traffic was the city's biggest problem, he said.

Independent Parliamentarian Rajeev Chandrasekhar and former Infosys officer Mohandas Pai cast their vote and urged others to vote as well.

Bengaluru voted for 197 seats of the 198 wards of the municipal body today through more than 6,000 polling booths. BJP's Bharati Ramachandra has been declared elected from the Hongasandra ward after the nomination of Congress candidate K Maheshwari was rejected for submitting a false caste certificate.

Around 1,200 candidates from mainstream political parties, independents and rebels had filed nominations for the polls.

The BJP had won the last civic body elections for in 2010 by claiming in 116 seats; the Congress won 62 seats and the Janata Dal Secular won 14 and independent candidates won the rest.

Earlier update

BBMP polls: Bengaluru records voter turnout of 11 percent till noon

Bengaluru, Aug 22 (DHNS): The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) election, to elect a new council of corporators to govern the City for the next five years, is underway.

According to media reports, only 11% of voters have turned up to cast their vote till noon. Around 7,33,645 denizens have cast their vote so far, as per reports.

Till 9:30 am, only 4.5 percent of voters had turned up for casting their vote.

Voting has been delayed at several wards due to malfunctioning of the EVMs. The polling, which started at 7 am, will go on till 5 pm today.
As many as 197 corporators of the total 198 to represent that many wards, need to be elected. A BJP nominee has already been declared elected unopposed from Hongasandra ward. There are 1,120 contestants in the fray. In all, 17 parties have fielded 721 candidates and the remaining 399 are contesting as Independents.

It is to be seen whether the citizens will come out and vote in large numbers in this election. Voter turnout in the last election held in 2010 was just 44 per cent. The total electorate is 73.88 lakh.

The Congress party, which is holding the reins of the State had fielded candidates in all the wards. However, nomination of one of the candidates was rejected helping the BJP to win unopposed. The BJP, which was in power in the BBMP council for the last five years, have fielded candidates for all the wards. The JD(S) has not fielded candidates for 10 wards.

Electronic voting machines will be in use. Voters should be enrolled in the electoral rolls and produce any of the 22 government-issued cards at polling booths as identity proof to vote. Voter identity cards, known as EPIC, is not mandatory.

BBMP officials on poll duty and political parties have distributed voter slip indicating the polling booth of the individual voter in each ward.

Even those who have not received the slip may vote, provided they produce the government approved ID cards.

The indelible ink mark, also known as voter’s ink, will be marked on the left thumb.
If repolling is necessitated, it would be held on August 24 from 7 am to 5 pm. The counting of votes would be from 8 am on August 25.

Post 1990, the party in power in the state, had held the reins of administration in the Palike as well. It remains to be seen whether the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government would create history again. So far the Palike has not seen coalition governance. For Siddaramaiah, the stakes are high in these elections. He has been fighting to shed his ‘anti-Bengaluru’ image. He had become the face and voice of the party during the campaign.

In case of the BJP, MLA R Ashoka played a key role in selection of candidates. Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy was the lone key campaigner for the JD(S).

Earlier Report

Bengaluru: Polling begins for BBMP elections

Bengaluru, Aug 22 (DHNS): The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) election to elect a new council of corporators to govern the City for the next five years is being held today. Electors have started exercising their franchise. Polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm.

As many as 197 corporators of the total 198 to represent that many wards, need to be elected. A BJP nominee has already been declared elected unopposed from Hongasandra ward. There are 1,120 contestants in the fray. In all, 17 parties have fielded 721 candidates and the remaining 399 are contesting as Independents.

It is to be seen whether the citizens will come out and vote in large numbers in this election. Voter turnout in the last election held in 2010 was just 44 per cent. The total electorate is 73.88 lakh.

The Congress party, which is holding the reins of the State had fielded candidates in all the wards. However, nomination of one of the candidates was rejected helping the BJP to win unopposed. The BJP, which was in power in the BBMP council for the last five years, have fielded candidates for all the wards. The JD(S) has not fielded candidates for 10 wards.

Electronic voting machines will be in use. Voters should be enrolled in the electoral rolls and produce any of the 22 government-issued cards at polling booths as identity proof to vote. Voter identity cards, known as EPIC, is not mandatory.

BBMP officials on poll duty and political parties have distributed voter slip indicating the polling booth of the individual voter in each ward.

Even those who have not received the slip may vote, provided they produce the government approved ID cards.

The indelible ink mark, also known as voter’s ink, will be marked on the left thumb.

If repolling is necessitated, it would be held on August 24 from 7 am to 5 pm. The counting of votes would be from 8 am on August 25.

Post 1990, the party in power in the state, had held the reins of administration in the Palike as well. It remains to be seen whether the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government would create history again. So far the Palike has not seen coalition governance. For Siddaramaiah, the stakes are high in these elections. He has been fighting to shed his ‘anti-Bengaluru’ image. He had become the face and voice of the party during the campaign.

In case of the BJP, MLA R Ashoka played a key role in selection of candidates. Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy was the lone key campaigner for the JD(S).