Stray violence marks second phase of polls

The second phase of polling to panchayat elections in the State was marked by stray incidents of violence on Friday.Twelve sustained injuries - four each in Belgaum and Shirahatti and two each in Hassan and Chikagamagalur - in poll-related violence.

Voting was by and large peaceful in North Karnataka districts of Bijapur, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Gadag, Haveri and Dharwad.

Belgaum
Four persons sustained injuries as stone throwing ensued between Congress and BJP workers in Kappalaguddi village. One more was injured in a similar clash in Badachi of Athani taluk. Public thrashed a person on suspicion of sorcery and handed him over to police on Alurva village of Hukkeri taluk.

Bijapur and Bagalkot
The polling was uneventful in Bijapur. Voting was disrupted for about an hour in Savalagi of Jamakhandi taluk, Bagalkot as voters staged a protest over missing names in the voters list. Sorcery was performed at a booth near Gundanapalle rehabilitation centre. The voters Cholachagudda boycotted the election.

Miscreants threw stones and destroyed a EVM in Chandavate village of Sindhagi taluk. The EVM was meant for taluk panchayat polls. Fresh polling will be held on January 3, tahsildar Shivananda Bhajantri said.

Chikmagalur
Tension prevailed for a while in Sadarahalli as husbands of two women candidates fought each other. Both were hospitalised and security was beefed up in the village.

Davangere
Residents of two villages in the Jagalur and Harihar taluk boycotted the polls for varied reasons. Furious over not finding their names in the voters list, villagers laid a siege to polling stations in more than 15 villages. They alleged that the BJP had misused the administrative machinery in villages where Congress dominated.

Supply of liquor appeared unabated despite a district-wide ban in view elections. Tipplers were seen in large numbers in several villages of Channagiri, Harihar and Honnali taluks. Faulty EVMs delayed polling by about two hours in some villages. Miscreants set fire to two haystacks of a BJP zilla panchayat candidate in Tyavanagi of Channagiri taluk.

Dharwad
Police resorted to mild lathicharge at to control unruly rush at Garaga booth in the taluk. Voting was delayed for a while in some villages due to faulty EVMs.

Karwar
Police seized eight sarees said to have been distributed by JD(S) workers in Karlaghatta village of Haliyal taluk. An officer at a Salangaon booth in Mundagod taluk was found to be ‘indirectly’ hinting voters to favour a particular party. Following a complaint, the officer was shifted. The Muslim community in Sonda boycotted the polls.

Hassan
The residents of Bidarakka village in Holenarsipur taluk staged a silent dharna at a few distance from the polling booth. Their grouse was that the politicians had not fulfiled their promises. Only three votes of out of the total 1,253 were cast at the booth.

Haveri
The residents of Benchihalli in the taluk boycotted the polls alleging that the government has failed to provide infrastructure to the village.

Koppal
Voting was peaceful in the taluk except an attempt by BJP workers to assault a former zilla panchayat member. The voting began on a low key and the turnout had not crossed even 50 pc by 3 noon. There were also instances of voters venting their ire over not finding their names in voters list.

Mangalore/Udupi
The election was peaceful in the naxal-infested areas of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

The voters in Belthangadi, Karkala and other hyper-sensitive booths cast their votes amid tight vigil of the armed Anti-Naxal Force. SP Praveen Madhukar Pawar supervised the security arrangement at the polling booths in Karkala taluk. 

In Kundapur of Udupi district, a 70-year-old Sadeeyamma died of cardiac arrest while she was on way to a polling booth. Residents of Kutyadka of Dakshina Kannada and Angalli in Udupi, S Bommenahalli, Havare near Aldur and Bidare near Balehonnur of Chikmagalur district boycotted the poll, demanding basic facilities to their villages.