Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Sep 1: Urban local body (ULB) election was held all over Karnataka except flood-ravaged Kodagu district on Friday August 31 except for minor incidents.
In several booths at Mysuru, activists exchanged heated words. Except for this incident, election to Mysuru City Corporation and T Narasipura, Piriyapatna, and H D Kote municipal elections went off peacefully. Likewise, election to Tumakuru City Corporation, and municipalities of Gubbi and Koratagere town panchayats as well as Madhugiri and Chikkanayakanahalli municipalities witnessed peaceful polling. There was some confusion after it was found that names of 135 voters had gone mysteriously missing from voters list pertaining to Tumakuru City Corporation.
In Hassan district, elections to Hassan and Arasikere city municipalities and Holenarasipur, Chennarayapatna and Sakleshpur town municipalities were held without any unsavoury incidents. There was some confusion briefly after it was observed that the serial numbers of BJP and Congress candidates in Chennarayapatna second ward had been interchanged. After the activists demanded to stall polling, electoral officials addressed the issue and paved for smooth polling.
In Mandya district too there were no major problems but for verbal duel between Congress and JD(S) candidates at Nagamangala and arguments with polling officials at Bellur on the demand for removal of burqa of a voter. Mandya witnessed 70 percent polling.
Three urban local bodies in Yadagiri district and Shivamogga City Corporation witnessed subdued polling since morning.
Polling for three city municipalities, three town municipalities and two town panchayats in Uttara Kannada district went on peacefully. Minister, R V Deshpande, cast his vote at Haliyal. This district witnessed 64 percent polling. Haveri district also had incident-free polling.
Mangaluru: ULB elections in Puttur, Bantwal, Ullal peaceful
Dakshina Kannada district recorded a poll percentage of 68.5 in the urban local body election held on Friday August 31. All the three bodies, Puttur, Ullal and Bantwal, witnessed trouble-free polling. Puttur recorded 68.69 percent polling, Ullal 63.36 percent, and Bantwal 72.36 percent.
In the election held to 31 wards Puttur city municipality, polling remained peaceful. Voting was brisk in the morning, slower during the afternoon, and gained momentum against during the closing hours. Polling was arranged through 41 booths out of which 27 were grouped as sensitive.
Defect was found during the experimental poll process in booth No. 19 of ward No. 19 at Parladka School. Thereafter, experimental exercise was conducted thrice, and Congress filed its objections in writing to the electoral officer. Tilak Bhandary, election agent for Congress candidate from the ward, Pushpalatha, filed this objection.
Bantwal municipality, which is currently under Congress hold, also witnessed election. The town municipality, which had 23 wards earlier, now has 27 wards. 71 candidates are in the fray. Former union minister, B Janardhana Poojary was among those who cast their votes early in the day.
In Ullal constituency, voting turned brisker since afternoon. The number of wards in this urban local body is 31, of which 18 are grouped as super sensitive and 11 as sensitive. 102 candidates have tried their luck at the elections here this time.
It is said that police and polling staff at several booths did not get food since morning till 4 pm.
Minister U T Khader held discussions with party workers at the booth at Melangadi higher primary school. Later he said that this being his home constituency where highest activists of the party are working for him, it is his duty to give prominence to this area. He said that the voters cast their franchise on the basis of development and therefore his party candidates are bound to win.
U T Khader buoyed the spirit of Congress activists by functioning near the Masthikatte polling booth in Ullal for some time. When Ullal sub-inspector, Guruvappa, objected to Usman Kallapu, candidate of Kallapur Patla ward, seeking votes near the polling booth, the two exchanged strong words. Additional policemen were deployed there after this incident.
Counting of votes and declaration of result will take place on Monday September 3.