Huge polling in naxal prone areas

Kundapur taluk registers 75.28 pc polling. Kamalashile stands highest with 83.7 pc while Shiroor is the lowest with 54.63 pc

Government Composite High school and Primary Division, Amasebailu polling booth, one of the hyper sensitive polling booths, registered 27 per cent polling at 10.45 am.
Higher Primary School polling station Machchattu Gram Panchayat area recorded 37 per cent polling at 11 am. There are about 1,117 voters in this area.

Speaking to media persons, Anand Kumar Shetty, a localite, said that they voted to gain the basic infrastructure like housing, drinking water, power supply, schools and roads. “We need development. The only solution to our existing problems is development,” he added.

Higher Primary School polling booth, Thomabattu, registered nearly 55 per cent polling by 12 noon. There are 280 houses and about 1,800 voters in this area.

Security

Udupi SP Prawin Pawar, who was accompanying the Anti Sabotage Checking Team, informed the media that the public response in naxal affected areas is good. “We expect more than 80 per cent polling in these areas,” he said.

There are as many as 22 naxal affected polling stations in the taluk. Each polling station is secured with enough number of security men form Tamil Nadu Special Force and Karnataka police. Polling is smooth.

Security is given more emphasis as the taluk contains more hyper sensitive booths.
“We are not leaving any stones left unturned,” he added. Anti land mine detectors and sniffer dog squad were in operation securing roads and culverts in the naxal affected areas of the taluk.

Speaking to media persons, T Chandrasekhar Shetty in Thomabattu said that the area is undergoing development with good roads, schools and drinking water facilities.

The voters are keen to caste their vote and are coming in large numbers. Most of the problems are lessened. There is no naxal problem in this area, he added.

Peaceful

On the whole, the second phase Gram Panchayat polls held for 63 Gram Panchayats of Kundapur taluk was peaceful without any major untoward incidents registered. The taluk recorded an approximate 54 per cent polling at 3 pm and 65 per cent of polling at 6.30 pm.

The 73 candidates in fray are now waiting for May 17 to know their fate.