Congress Retains Seat in Ullal - UT Khader Wins by Good Margin
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (GA) -
Pics - Sphoorti Ullal, Rajesh Shetty and Praveen Kulshekar
Final Standings
Congress - 46,271
BJP - 38,239
JD (S) - 6,217
CPI (M) - 4,803
Ind - 1,196
Congress won by 8,032 votes
Mangalore, Jun 5: Congress by winning Ullal election once again proved that Ullal is their fort and their position is strong there. Congress candidate U T Khader defeated his nearest rival Chandrashekhar Ullal by more than 2,500 votes in the by-election which was held owing to the untimely demise of his father U T Fareed.
As reported earlier BJP was in joyous mood in the beginning stages since it had a slender lead till the fourth round. But once Congress took lead in fifth round, it never looked back. It went on increasing its lead and ended up on the winning side, much to the joy of party worker. Congress camp was seen celebrating its victory whereas BJP camps was in total disarray.
Speaking to reporters U T Khader said that his win has proved that people are by those who work for the welfare and not those who divide them on the basis of religion, caste and creed.
Mangalore: Congress Leading but BJP Closing in
Spot updates by Melka Miyar
for Daijiworld Media Network
Pics - Rajesh Shetty
Results after 11 Rounds
Congress - 34,999
BJP - 28, 568
JD (S) - 4,665
CPI (M) - 2,580
Ind - 935
Mangalore, Jun 5: As counting of the votes polled in Ullal by-election began on Tuesday June 5 morning, there were a lot of apprehensions about the winning horse. Eversince the public campaign began it was believed that it could be a straight fight between Congress and BJP. Though JD (S) entered the fray and the chief minister himself campaigned for Abubakkar Natekal, most of them were quite sure that he would not prove to a big challenge.
Now that the counting has started and already 8 rounds have been completed, this has been proved very true. Though BJP led by more than 1,000 votes till the fourth round, Congress surged ahead in the 5 round. Thereafter ther latter has managed to increase its lead in each round.
So far 8 rounds (80 booths) of counting has been completed and Congress is leading the fray over BJP and JD (S). As of now only BJP and Congress are in the picture as JD (S) and CPI (M) have failed to match them. The independent candidate Bharath Shetty is on the verge of losing his deposit even.
Still 6 more rounds of courting is remaining and nothing could be predicted right now. But Congress is leading by more than 6,000 votes and this may prove decisive through. But BJP candidate Chandrashekhar Uchil said that he is expecting get more votes in rural areas and would win. On the other hand U T Khader said that he hopes to win the election by at least 3,500 votes since Congress has always held its fort in rural areas.
Mangalore: Ullal Vote-counting – Signs of Neck-and-neck Race
By Melka Miyar from Karnataka Polytechnic Campus
Pics Rajesh Shetty
Mangalore, Jun 5: The counting of votes polled in the Ullal by-election began in the Karnataka Polytechnic campus atop Kadri Hills on Tuesday morning. Since electronic voting machines were used in the polling, the result is expected to emerge within three hours.
Formal announcement of the winner will be certainly out before noon.
Tight security has been arranged here to control the situation. Police have cordoned off the entir KPT campus to prevent any unauthorized entry into the campus while the counting is in progress.
Although five candidates are in the field, it is widely believed to be a straight fight between U T Khader of Congress and Chandrashekhar Uchil of the BJP.
Supporters of all political parties are slowly gathering around the campus, carrying banners and flags of their respective parties.
The place is likely to be an arena of thrill and action as the final stage reaches.
Earlier Updates: