Karnataka   

Chitradurga district registers voter turnout of 58 per cent

Protest: Supporters of the Janata Dal (Secular) staging a dharna in Chitradurga on Friday.

Chitradurga: Barring a minor scuffle between supporters of a Janata Dal (Secular) candidate and polling officers and the police over names missing from the voters list, the elections to urban local bodies in Chitradurga district were largely peaceful.

The district registered a voter turnout of 58 per cent. Polling began on a brisk note on Friday morning. Long queues were seen outside most polling booths in Chitradurga. Over 30 per cent of voters exercised their franchise by 11 a.m. Polling was held under tight police cover in 142 wards of the district. As many as 495 candidates were in the fray.

Polling was held up for over two hours in ward number 34 on a complaint lodged by Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Manjunath that the names of over 60 family members were missing from the voters list.

Several of his supporters staged a dharna in front of the polling booth, demanding re-polling. Fearing trouble, many voters returned to their houses or waited outside the booths.

Additional police forces were rushed to the spot. Though some senior police officials tried to persuade the protesters to give up their protest, their efforts were in vain.

The agitators gheraoed Deputy Commissioner Amlan Adiya Biswas upon his arrival and demanded re-polling.

Mr. Biswas said a decision on re-polling or suspension would have to be taken by the State Election Commission. He assured them that the matter would be taken serious note of. Upon examination, none of the names had been excluded but had been included under ward number 100 according to the changes made by the Delimitation Commission.

To compensate for the lost time, polling was extended by an hour.

Hiriyur Taluk witnessed the lowest voter turn out at 53.36 per cent, while Holelkere saw a voter response of 69.20, the highest in the district.

In another incident, five supporters of a Janata Dal (S) candidate contesting in ward number 27 suffered minor injuries in a clash with the supporters of an independent candidate.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Congress wins Chikmagalur ZP post
Snap poll is a possibility, says MLA
Bar Association to meet Chief Justice
HC stays FIR against Congress MLA
Chitradurga district registers voter turnout of 58 per cent
Re-polling in one Davangere booth today
73.2 per cent turnout in Chamarajanagar district
People hope Ramanagara will be model town
BJP getting ready for any eventuality
Violence mars polling in Tumkur district
Helping elders in distress Law & order
Trial run
Policing the police?
Constable hurt in Kolar violence

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu