First phase of Gram Panhayat polls today

BENGALURU: A 102-year-old woman from Doddahalasuru in Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district and a 91-year-old man from Gandabomanahalli in Kudligi taluk in Ballari district are among the 2 lakh-plus contestants for the 85,661 gram panchayat seats in the two-phase polls on Friday and June 2.
Candidates for 8,687 seats were elected unopposed. Chief minister Siddaramaiah now faces the first major electoral test after the Lok Sabha polls.
For the first time, the government has made voting compulsory by amending the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act. But the penalty for abstaining from voting will not be implemented. Another first this time is the use of electronic voting machines.
Counting for votes for both phases will be on June 5. The elections are being held on a non-party basis, but candidates have the tacit support of political outfits as GP members are the support base for parties in the panchayat, urban local bodies, assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Money and muscle power in polls have taken a new turn in these polls. Paying money to woo voters is passé and now, seats are being auctioned. There are no rules to ban it as the Election Commission's concern is limited to ensure that no person is intimated and stopped from contesting the polls.
Seats were auctioned for as much as Rs 5 lakh and the highest bidder was declared elected unopposed though he or she had to go through the formality of filing the nomination papers. Auctioning of seats reportedly prevents election-related disputes in the village and the rampant use of money and muscle power.
On Friday, polls will be held in 15 districts - Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Chamarajnagar, Udupi, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Haveri, Bagalkot, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Gadag. On June 2, polling will be held in the remaining 15 districts .