karnatka election

Brisk polling in Karnataka elections

  

• 
  The Hindu Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his family members at the Government Higher Primary School at Paduvalahippe in Holenarasipur taluk after casting their vote on Sunday. Photo: Prakash Hassan
• 
  The Hindu Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his wife Chennamma exercise their franchise at Government Higher Primary School, Paduvalahippe in Holenarasipur taluk on Sunday. Photo: Prakash Hassan
• 
  A polling official checks out the Braille Electonic Voting Machine (EMV), which is dedicated only for visually challenged voters on the eve of Legislative Assmbley elections, in Bangalore, Karnataka. Photo: V Sreenivasa Murthy

voting

Polling got off to a brisk start across Karnataka on Sunday with voters queuing outside many polling stations to exercise their franchise in the elections to the State Assembly.

Long queues were seen outside polling booths in Bangalore early in the day. In many areas, voters turned up at polling stations even before the booths were opened at 7 am. Party workers, who had set up kiosks, a small distance from the booths, were wooing voters.

But, a few polling booths also witnessed a delayed start to the polling process. In a polling station (No. 92) of the Govindarajanagar assembly constituency in Bangalore, the voting process was delayed by 45 minutes on account of non-functioning of electronic voting machine (EVM).

Several voters stood in a queue impatiently as the officials did not allow any them to enter the polling station due to the malfunctioning of the EVM. Later, an official of the BBMP rushed to the spot and repaired the EVM.

In many booths across Bangalore, the officials had not notified the extension in polling time from to 6 pm. Though the Election Commission on Saturday extended the time till 6 pm, timing displayed outside polling booths said voting hours were between 7 am and 5 pm.

Though the Election Commission has promised to set up kiosks outside polling stations to issue voters’ slips, no such help desks were found in many areas including polling booths at Govindarajanagar in Bangalore. In Hebbal, voters found difficulty in locating their polling stations as Election Commission had not distributed the voter’s slips for the purpose. The help desk personnel were flooded with inquiries so were the volunteers of political parties.

In Malleshwaram in Bangalore, even as parties hired autorickshaws to bring voters to the polling booths, BJP’s senior leader and Rajya Sabha member M Venkaiah Naidu came under criticism for his behavior at the polling station. In a statement, Prasanna Kumar of CITU condemned the “crude and indecent” behavior of Mr Naidu for “pushing aside senior citizens in the queue”.

HASSAN: Voters’ turnout at many booths in politically active Hassan district in the early hours of Sunday was impressive. Voters were seen in queues in polling booths of Holenarasipur and Hassan constituencies. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda is among those who voted in the early hours.

Mr. Deve Gowda exercised his right along with his wife Channamma Deve Gowda at Government Higher Primary School at Paduvalahippe around 8.45 am. He was followed by former minister and JD(S) candidate for Holenarasipur constituency H.D. Revanna, his wife Bhavani Revanna and their children Suraj R. and Prajwal R.

Mr. Revanna, as he did in the previous assembly elections, changed the position of the table on which the electronic voting machine was placed before voting. He shifted the table little towards a window, to give an impression that he wanted more light to view the EVM. Voters had gathered in large numbers around the polling station where Gowda’s family had arrived to vote. Many aged men and women were seen in the queue.

An EVM at Salagame in Hassan taluk developed a technical snag causing delay in beginning the polling for about half an hour. The polling staff replaced the machine for smooth conduct of the polls.

Congress candidate of Holenarasipur S.G. Anupama was admitted to hospital for a brief period on Sunday morning after she complained of discomfort. It is said she was tired of hectic campaigning in the last few days. She returned home after she was administered glucose.

BELLARY: Polling was halted for sometime at a booth in the Bandihatti area of Bellary after a scuffle between a voter and central paramilitary force personnel on election duty.

KOLAR: Four persons were arrested in booth number 122 in Kolar following violence between supporters of Congress and Independent candidate Varthur Prakash, a Minister in the BJP Government. The Congress workers were reportedly brandishing lethal weapons to scare voters, police said.