MCC by-poll: 46.05 pc voter turnout

By-elections to Ward No 15 of Mysore City Corporation (MCC) concluded on a peaceful note in the city on Friday. The voting percentage was recorded at 46.03 per cent, after the polling came to an end at 5 pm.

MCC Assistant Commissioner M J Roopa, also the Returning Officer for the election told Deccan Herald, a total of 4,900 voters exercised their franchise against the total 10,645 votes. The polling was held between 7 am and 5 pm.

Soon after the polling, the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were shifted for demustering at the Zonal Office 2 of MCC near Jayanagar railway gate. Counting will be held at the same venue on December 8.

In all 11, booths had been set up, with the highest of five at the Jyothi Composite PU College, four at the Government First Grade College, Kuvempunagar and two at the nearby Brahmarshi School.

Voting was slow when it first started, but it slowly picked pace by 10.30 am, by which time polling percentage recorded between 10 pc and 12 pc at majority of the polling booths.

BJP candidate Seema Prasad, who is the voter of the same ward, exercised her franchise at booth 147-A. Two other prominent candidates Komala Ramesh from Congress and Lakshmi Ganesh from Janata Dal (Secular) had to restrict themselves for campaigning, for being outsiders.

Cong, BJP fight

At the outset, it appeared to be a straight fight between Congress and BJP with their nominees Komala Ramesh and Seema Prasad respectively, who had firmly occupied the stretch of Vivekananda Nagar road leading to the polling booths, to make the last minute efforts to woo the voters.

The duo found support in their husbands-advocate Ramesh and Prasad, also the president of BJP Ward 15.

Lakshmi Ganesh from JD(S) who campaigned for sometime, made a silent exit later. There was no sight of K Kempamma, the lone Independent candidate, who is learnt to have made a secret pact with Congress nominee.

Prominent leaders

At Congress, sitting Corporators like J S Jagadish, M Suneel Kumar, N Sunil Kumar and several others also took part in the campaigning, while in BJP, sitting MLC Go Madhusudhan, City BJP unit president and former MLA E Maruthi Rao Pawar, general secretary Yashaswi Somashekar, Corporators T Girish Prasad, M K Shankar, Balasubramanya alias ‘Snake’ Shyam were seen.

Take stock

Deputy Commissioner C Shikha, DCP (law and order) A N Rajanna took stock of the situation by visiting the polling booths. Heavy police bandobust had been made with three inspectors - Shekar from Kuvempunagar, Venkatesh from Saraswatipuram and H Parashuramappa from K R police stations supervising the arrangements in and around the polling booths.