2641 Grama Panchayats Go to Polls on May 8
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, May 7: Over 1.26 crore voters in 16 districts of Karnataka, in roughly half the state, will have their chance to choose their grass-roots level representatives on Saturday, May 8, when as many as 2,641 grama panchayats go to polls.
A little over 1.16 lakh candidates will be contesting for the 46,791 grama panchayat seats in the 16 districts. The State Election Commission has made all arrangements to hold a free and fair elections on Saturday from 7 am to 5 pm.
Among the over 1.26 crore voters, as may as 64,02,214 men and 62,60,059 women voters are eligible to cast their votes.
Polling would be held in 16,965 booths and the personnel have already reached their respective stations on Friday evening.
Elections would decide the fate of over 1.16 lakh candidates who in the fray for 43,791 GP seats in the first phase in Bangalore and Gulbarga divisions. The rest of the districts would go to polling in the second phase on May 12.
Grama panchayats in Bangalore Urban and Rural, Ramanagaram, Chitradurga, Davangere,
Kolar, Chickballapur, Shimoga, Tumkur, Bidar, Bellary, Gulbarga, Yadgir, Raichur and Koppal and Udupi and Karkala taluks of Ududpi district would go to polling in the first phase.
The State Election Commission has declared 5,440 and 5,736 booths as sensitive and hyper
sensitive, respectively. It has deployed adequate number of police personnel to ensure peaceful polling.
Tumkur district has highest number of polling booths (2062), sensitive (637) and hyper sensitive (600) booths.
The district-wise figure for the number of sensitive and hyper-sensitive booths is: 237 and 478 in Bangalore Urban, 166 and 330 in Bangalore Rural, 197 and 136 in Ramanagaram, 452 and 372 in Kolar, 305 and 189 in Chickballapur, 480 and 409 in Chitradurga, 378 and 505 in Davangere, 305 and 189 in Shimoga, 201 and 102 in Udupi, 171 and 109 in Bidar, 528 and 411 in Bellary, 405 and 543 in Raichur, 470 and 575 in Gulbarga, 243 and 254 in Yadgir, and 265 and 534 in Koppal district.
The commission has decided to conduct video recording of polling in sensitive and hyper sensitive booths in all districts.
It has received 81 complaints regarding violation of model code of conduct in Bangalore division and 18 complaints in Gulbarga division, according to officials of the Commission.
The commission has directed all institutions, industries, factories and establishments to provide sufficient time to employees to cast their votes.