Bangalore : 61.6% Polling in Karnataka’s 5 By-polls
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
BANGALORE, Aug 18: The by-elections to the five assembly constituencies of Karnataka held on Tuesday have registered a fairly high 61.6% polling percentage.
Unlike the common tendency of violent incidents in such fiercely contested elections in the past, the polling on Tuesday was completely peaceful in all the five constituencies of Govindarajanagar in Bangalore, Channapatna and Ramanagara in Ramanagara district, Kollegal and Chittapur in Chamarajanagara and Gulbarga districts respectively.
Though the ruling BJP had not won any of the seats in the 2008 assembly polls, the elections in Govindarajanagar in the city and Channapatna in Ramanagara district is politically crucial for it as the by-elections were necessitated by the resignation of the sitting Congress MLAs, who switched loyalties to the saffron party under its controversial ``Operation Lotus.’’
While Housing and Muzrai Minister V Somanna is contesting from Govindarajanagar on the BJP ticket, C P Yogeshwar is the BJP candidate from Channapatna. Yogeshwar had resigned his assembly seat to unsuccessfully contest on BJP ticket from Bangalore rural constituency to lose against former JD(S) chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. In Chittapur, the Union Labour Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge is the Congress candidate.
As many as 61.6% of the 10.10 lakh electorate in the five constituencies exercised their franchise, according to Karnataka’s chief electoral officer C S Suranjana.
The polling percentage in the recently held lok sabha polls was 58.3. However, it was as high as 62.13 in the 2008 Legislative Assembly elections, he said.
Channapatna recorded highest percentage of polling – 73 while Govindarajangara recorded the lowest – 48. The percentage of polling in Ramanagara was 71, Kollegal reserve constituency – 64 and Chittapur – 59.
Ramanagara recorded 68.3% and 73.51% polling in 2009 Lok Sabha and 2008 Assembly elections respectively while Govindarajangara recoded 42.66% and 42.4% in 2009 and 2008 elections respectively.
The percentage of polling in the last Lok Sabh and Assembly elections in Chittapur was 49.08 and 51.95, Kollegal – 67.23 and 72.26, and Channapatna – 72.02 and 78.18 respectively.
Suranjana said the polling officials replaced electronic voting machines (EVMs) in six places due to malfunctioning. Two EVMs each in Channapatna and Govindarajangara and one each in Kollegal and Chittapur have been replaced.
The counting of votes will be on Friday.