The total turnout of voters during the elections is 44.percent.
The much –publicised election to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Council received a lukewarm response from the voters of Bengaluru.
Though the district administration had spent much time and money to create awareness among the public on the importance of exercising their franchise to elect representatives, the percentage of voting did not cross 50% mark.
The total turnout of voters during the elections held in 2010 was 44.1%. The percentage of voting was just 5% after two hours of voting in the morning and it crossed 20% mark by 3.00 pm and finally it was around 44% by the end of the polls.
Barring few incidents here and there in the city, the voting process was peaceful.
BBMP Commissioner and District Election Officer G Kumara Naik, who spent considerable time on awareness programmes, has expressed disappointment over the lukewarm response from the voters.
Political analysts attribute holidays (Saturday and Sunday) and bad weather as the main reasons for the low turnout of voters at various polling stations.
It has to be noted that polling stations were empty at some wards that are dominated by techies. Queues were seen in front of polling booths put up at areas dominated by lower and middle-class families. Elections are held for 197 wards out of 198 wards in Bengaluru since a BJP candidate Bharati Ramachandra got elected from Hongasandra ward in Bommanahalli assembly segment unanimously when Congress candidate Maheshwari submitted a false caste certificate.
While BJP and Congress filed candidates from all the wards, JD(S) fielded candidates from 185 wards. It could not find candidates for 13 wards, including Kacharakanahalli ward, in the city.
Among the five former mayors, only two of them – BS Satyanarayana and N Shantha Kumari – have succeeded in getting tickets from BJP. Other former mayors Sharadamma and Venkatesh Murthy were denied tickets while KS Nataraj succeeded to get a BJP ticket for his wife from JP Nagar ward.
In the morning former prime minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda staged dharna in front of Jeevan Bhima Nagar police station demanding the police to release JD(S) supporters arrested by the police on Friday night. Gowda withdrew the dharna after Additional Commissioner of Police Harisekharan assured him to look into the matter. According to the sources, two supporters of JD(S) candidate Ayesha Begum were arrested by the police while distributing money to the voters.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed at Yelahanka when MLA S Vishwanath tried to drag a person for canvassing for votes near a polling booth.
In an unfrotunate incident, a 22-year-old youth Fayaz, who was on the way to a polling station in Shivajinagar ward, when a dry and dead branch of a rain tree fell on him. His body was shifted to mortuary at Lady Curzon and Bowring Hospital. Kittu Mohan (58), a resident of Indiranagar, who was on the way to a polling station to cast his vote, died of cardiac arrest. Police seized a tempo carrying cash in Whitefield.
For more hyperlocal stories, visit iamin.in
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