Udupi records 71.65 pc polling

Udupi district recorded 70.57 percentage of polling in the elections held for the 2,126 seats in 155 gram panchayats here on Friday.

Karkala taluk recorded the highest with 74.9 per cent, followed by Kundapur taluk which recorded 71.19 per cent and Udupi taluk which recorded 70.55 per cent.
There were as many as 837 polling stations in the district, including 131 sensitive polling booths and 59 hyper sensitive polling booths.

The district recorded 16.16 per cent polling at 9 am, 35.65 per cent at 11 am, 50 per cent at 1 pm and 59.66 per cent at 3 pm respectively.

In Atradi, Government Higher Primary School, the polling percentage was 23.55 percent at 9.30 am, wherein 285 voters out of total 1210 casted their vote. In Heeriyadka Board High School polling booth, 97 voters out of 530 had cast their vote by 9.30.

In Someshwara polling station in Karkala, which is situated in Maoist prone area, as many as 328 voters out of 609 had cast their vote by 11.25 am. The voting was taking place in the midst of tight police security.

As many as six polling stations come under Hebri jurisdiction (four in Nadpalu and two in Kabbinale), wherein 19 armed policemen from Kerala were posted for patrolling. Government Lower Primary School in Kasadi in Haladi gram panchayat in Kundapur recorded 51.99 percent of polling at 12.15 noon.

Meanwhile, the Government Higher Primary School in Uppur in Brahmavar recorded 63.81 per cent at 2.30 pm. As many as 432 voters out of 677 had voted. The other booth at the same venue recorded 58.14 per cent of polling.

Petty clash
There were petty clashes due to some misunderstandings in the names printed in the voters slip and change of names in polling stations in Kaup and Tenkanidiyur respectively. While in Ambalpadi gram panchayat, the candidate Usha was bewildered to see envelop as her symbol in place of earthen pot which was sanctioned by the election commission. She had campaigned for earthen pot symbol.

In 80-Badagabettu, the ward number and the candidates name were replaced into ward number one and ward number eight following the confusions in the delimitation of the constituency.  

Superintendent of Police Annamalai said the polling was peaceful without any untoward incidents taking place anywhere in the district.
Except for the minor issues, everything was peaceful, he added.