Lok Sabha Elections 2024: North Karnataka braves heat, notches up 70% turnout

Bengaluru: Electors in north Karnataka braved the heatwave to take the Phase 3 turnout to 70.41 per cent, higher than the 2019 election’s 68.65 per cent.

Officials said the final turnout, after obtaining numbers from returning officers, may change.

Polling was peaceful barring minor skirmishes between party workers and boycott calls in several villages.

Barring minor delays caused by technical problems in the electronic voting machines (EVM), polling continued without hurdles.

However, the polling process in Shorapur Assembly bypoll and Raichur Lok Sabha poll dragged on beyond 10 pm.

Chikkodi led the provisional list with (76.99 per cent), followed by Davangere and Shimoga which crossed 76 per cent.

Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar and Bijapur saw turnouts between 61 per cent and 65 per cent.

The pace of voting, which had slowed down after 11 am, picked up around 5 pm in all the constituencies.

Heat had a major role to play in several districts of north Karnataka with Kalaburagi seeing a maximum temperature crossing 44.5 degrees Celsius. Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Koppal, Raichur, Bidar and Gadag saw temperatures above 40 degrees C.

People showed their commitment to the exercise by putting aside personal tragedies. In Lakkundi (Gadag district), Nagappa Sangati (81) died at 6 am. His family completed the final rites and turned up to vote by 4 pm. Similarly, in Kaladagi (Bagalkot district), Tayavva Hosur lost her husband but turned up to vote minutes after the last rites. In Mahalingapura (Bagalkot district), Savita Mahalingappa (30) died but six members of her family turned up to vote after the rituals.

At least five people, including a polling official, died in circumstances closely related to polling. Basavaraj (58), a headmaster deployed to man the Jagira Jadaladinni polling station in Devadurga (Raichur district) died of heart attack. Shiralakoppa (Shivamogga), Yelburga (Koppal), Guledgudda (Bagalkot) and Madagunaki village (Kalaburagi) each reported the death of a person some time after they cast their votes.

The heat affected many others. Staffers and officials in several polling booths complained of health issues. In Kuditini village (Ballari) polling station, polling staffer Ravichandra complained of high blood pressure. He was rushed to hospital where he recovered later after treatment. In Kolagal village, staffer Lakshmidevi fainted and was rushed to a hospital. In Bandihatti government school polling station, polling officer Shobharani fainted and fell down. She was rushed in an ambulance to VIMS hospital, where her condition improved later.

Issues related to EVMs were reported from Chincholi and Chittapur (Kalaburagi), Channammana Kittur (Belagavi), Davangere, Shivamogga and about 10 machines in Hospet (Vijayanagara district).

Boycotts were declared in at least six places with people refusing to hear the officials who came to pacify them. Over 850 villagers in Vitthalapur under Tavaragera town panchayat (Koppal constituency) boycotted the poll to protest the lack of health facilities in the local government hospital, which led to the death of a pregnant woman. Requests made by officials to withdraw the boycott failed to move the villagers.

In Yallapur, 77 families from Gangadhar colony stayed away from the polls to protest against the apathy of the government in giving them basic amenities. In Melavarige village of Sagar taluk, villagers boycotted the polls over encroachment of common land. Similar boycotts were reported from Lingsugur (Koppal) and Nagarala village (Bagalkot) among other places.

Still, a marked difference between the south and the north Karnataka was visible around the 5 pm data. Unlike the three urban constituencies in Bengaluru staying at about 50 per cent and pulling down the overall turnout, all segments in the north have posted numbers above 60 per cent.