Voter turnout lowest in City DH News Service,Bangalore: It was a poor show by Bangaloreans on Saturday the day of polling. A mere 44

Voter turnout lowest in City

DH News Service,Bangalore:



It was a poor show by Bangaloreans on Saturday the day of polling.


A mere 44 per cent of voters of the tech city (21 constituencies in BBMP limits) came to the polling booths to exercise their franchise, which is the lowest among 11 districts that went to polls.

Compared to the 2004 elections (with 16 constituencies in the then Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) limtis), voter turn out has come down by 4.5 per cent. In 2004, 48.5 per cent polling was recorded. Incidentally, Bangalore rural has the highest of 72.5 per cent of polling this time.

During random visit of polling booths by Deccan Herald, it was found that large majority of people who had queued up to cast their vote, were from lower-middle class. Areas like Ambedkarnagar in Yeshwanthpura, Kurubarahalli in Mahalakshmi Layout, Shivanahalli in Rajajinagar, Kempapura Agrahara in Vijayanagar and Padarayanapura in Chamarajpet witnessed brisk voting. Why are Bangaloreans reluctant to vote? President of Citizens’ Action Forum (CAF) N S Mukunda, who along with a number of other NGOs, carried out a massive campaign to educate people to go and vote, said due to large number of errors in the voter’s list, a lot of people have not been able to vote. “Moreover, people it seems are disgusted with the kind of candidates the political parties have fielded,” he pointed out.









Volunteers of the CAF, Public Affairs Centre (PAC), Swabhimana, CIVIC and Karnataka Kolageri Nivasigala Samyuktha Sangathane (KKNSS) had gone door-to-door across Bangalore to sensitise people, inmates of apartment blocks etc to cast their vote without fail.

Total average

Though the EC gave the total average polling per centage, it did not furnish exact constituency-wise break up of voter turnout.

As per the approximate polling per cent figures that were available with BBMP: Shivajinagar - 47.8 per cent; Chamarajpet - 40 per cent; Rajarajeshwarinagar - 48 per cent; Shantinagar - 44 per cent; Govindrajnagar - 42.52 per cent; Bommanahalli - 40 per cent; Vijayanagar - 48 per cent; Basavanagudi - 41 per cent; Padmanabhanagar - 49 per cent; Gandhinagar - 45 per cent; B T M layout - 47 per cent; Jayanagar - 52 per cent; K R Puram - 43 per cent; Sarvagnagar - 34 per cent; C V Ramanagar - 48 per cent, Malleshwaram - 51; Mahalakshmi Layout - 60; Hebbal - 50; Pulakeshinagar - 43; Rajajinagar - 44; Chickpet - 40.

In Badami constituency Rs 15 lakh cash being transported in two cars was seized, he said. The complaints’ helpline set up by the Election Commission received 3,950 calls during the day, he said.

Other prominent leaders whose electoral fortunes were sealed on Saturday include G T Devegowda (Hunsur), N Cheluvarayaswamy (Nagamangala), Ambareesh (Srirangapatna), A Krishnappa (K R Pura), Dr G Parameshwara (Koratagere), D K Shivakumar (Kanakapura) and D T Jayakumar (Chamundeswari). The second phase of elections will be held on May 16 and the third and final phase on May 22. Counting of votes is scheduled on May 25.

REPOLL IN TWO BOOTHS

Bangalore, DHNS:

The Election Commission has recommended repolling in two booths in Malleswaram and Ramanagaram Assembly constituencies due to the failure of EVMs. The repolling in Malleswaram will be held on Monday.

The EC has decided to conduct fresh polling at polling booth 6A Jeevan Jyoti school in Malleshwaram, as there was some technical snag in the EVM. According to district electoral officer, BBMP, Ramaprasad, the Returning Officer of the polling station could not erase votes that were cast during mock polling due to technical snag. Hence, it was decided to conduct fresh polling, he added. In Ramanagar, the repoll has been recommended in the Circle booth 64 also due to a technical snag.