C'magalur registers 99.5 pc polling

It was cent per cent in Kalasa and NR Pura; 242 booths used across district

As many as 226 Gram Panchayat members, 7 TP members, 4 Town Panchayat members, 4 Council members and ZP members cast their votes in 242 polling booths set up in the district.

Congress Member Gayathri Shanthegowda offered prayer to the ballot boxes in ZP office premises before exercising her franchise. ZP Member Savitha Ramesh, Farahath Banu, Bhagvan, Bharathi Srinivas Gowda voluntarily exhibited their ballot papers.

MP D V Sadananda Gowda, MLA C T Ravi, Ton Municipal Council President H D Thammaiah cast votes at Chikmagalur Town Municipal Council premises. MLA D S Suresh cast vote at Tarikere Town Municipal Council while K M Krishnamurthy cast vote at Kadur Taluk Panchayat premises along with MLC Y S V Datta, MLA M P Kumaraswamy and others. MLA D N Jeevaraj cast vote at N R Pura Taluk Panchayat premises. Polling went on peacefully in all the 22 polling booths located in Naxal affected areas.
The ballot boxes were safely taken to STJ College and counting will be held on December 21.

Kalasa
All the Gram Panchayats registered 100 per cent polling for Legislative Council on Friday barring Idakini GP in Kalasa hobli. It is said that BJP had tried its level best for cross voting as the coalition between Congress and JD(S) seemed too strong. However it is also said that Congress-JD(S) too tried to further fortify themselves by trying to bag from BJP votes. The absence of Idakini GP President Geetha and Vice-President Varija was a matter of discussion. Block Congress spokesperson N M Harsha in a press release informed that Congress-JD(S coalition will bag maximum votes and further said that the incident of Idakini GP President Geetha and Vice-President Varija, BJP backed candidates remaining absent has questioned the credibility of BJP.

Meanwhile, MLA M P Kumaraswamy has said that most of the voters have cast their vote for BJP in Kalasa hobli. He said that BJP will bag atleast 50 votes the bifurcation being 16 in Kalasa, 7 in Idakini, 7 in Thotadur, 6 in Samse, 4 in Marasanige and 3 in Horanadu.

Mudigere
Mudigere Tahshildar Shivegowda has informed that taluk has registered 99.14 per cent polling. Collecting the ballot boxes from 31 polling centres on Friday after polling, he said that taluk had 348 voters of which 345 has cast their votes. Of those who cast votes, 184 are men and 161 are women. Two women members of Idakidi Panchayat and one male GP member of Phalguni did not cast votes.

Koppa
Koppa taluk registered 99 per cent turn up at polling centres on Friday. There are 238 electorate in the taluk, of which 236 members cast their votes. Polling went on peacefully in all the 24 centres in the taluk and by afternoon 90 per cent polling was registered. The members of Athikudige and Marithothlu did not cast their votes each and hence remained out of the process. Chief Whip in the State Assembly D N Jeevaraj, ZP Member S N Ramaswamy, TP Member B S Sathish, S S Sanjay and others visited various polling centres.

Ajjampura
Zilla Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat and Gram Panchayat members cast their votes to decide on the future of candidates contesting for the Legislative Council elections, on Friday.

The booths were set up at Ajjampura Gram Panchayat premises. There are 26 members in this panchayat. The members cast secret ballot, there by concealing the future and destiny of the candidates Gayathri Shanthegowda (Congress) and M S Bhojegowda (BJP).
There are 593 voters in Chikmagalur, 348 in Mudigere, 240 in Koppa, 172 in NR Pura, 111 in Sringeri, 692 in Kadur, 536 in Tarikere. Of this 1410 are men, 1282 are women.

NR Pura
The Legislative Council polling held on Friday registered 100 per cent turn out in NR Pura taluk. There are 14 Gram Panchayats, Taluk Panchayats and Town Municipal Councils and a total of 171 voters. At about 9.30 am MLA D N Jeevaraj cast his vote at the Town Municipal Council building.

Tarikere
Tarikere taluk witnessed a total polling of 95 per cent, said Tahshildar Renuka Prasad. One GP Member in Ajjampura could not cast vote due to illness while all other GPs, Taluk Panchayats and Councils registered cent per cent turn out.
MLA D S Suresh said that BJP candidate M S Bhojegowda will win the election.
Kadur registered 99.25 per cent turn out. There were 691 voters and 62 polling booths. Five members did not cast their votes.