Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (DC)

Bengaluru, Jun 8: Elections to six legislative council seats, three each from graduates and teachers constituencies began across the state on Friday June 8.

Polling began at 7 am and will go on till 5 pm. The results will be announced on June 12.

By 1 pm, the polling in Dakshina Kannada was 43% in graduates' constituency and 36% in teachers'.

At 11 am, the turnout in graduates' constituency in Dakshina Kannada was 22.17% while in teachers' constiuency, it was 25.91%.

The three major parties Congress, JD(S) and the BJP have fielded candidates in all six seats.

Mangaluru teachers' constituency candidate of the BJP Ganesh Karnik cast his vote at University College in Hampankatta.

Former deputy chairman of legislative council Maritibbegowda is seeking re-election from south teachers' constituency, while former Hebbal MLA YA Narayanaswamy is in the fray from southeast teachers segment. Senior BJP leader Ganesh Karnik is seeking re-election from southwest teachers' constituency and former MP from Shivamogga Ayanur Manjunath is contesting from southwest graduates' constituency. Kannada activist and former MLA Vatal Nagaraj is in the fray from northeast graduates' constituency.

Overall, 35 candidates, including 18 from the three parties, are in the fray for the six seats, which will see 2.14 lac voters in the graduates' constituency and 60,561 in the teachers' constituency.