JOIN USBarring a few incidents, elections to urban local body (ULB) polls in Mysore district was peaceful on Thursday. When the voting ended at 5 pm, overall voting percentage was recorded at 58.83 pc, with rural voters outnumbering urban electorates.
Mysore City Corporation however recorded a dismal 52 pc voter turn out. Mandya district as a whole recorded 69.36 pc (Mandya CMC - 61.37 pc); Hassan district saw 77.28 pc (Hassan CMC - 66.55 pc); while Chamarajanagar district recorded 76.5 pc (Chamrajanagar CMC - 75.23 pc) turnout. Re-polling has not been announced as yet. Periyapatna in Mysore district touched highest with 83 pc polling.
The other taluk centres recorded the following percentages; T Narsipura and H D Kote- 79 pc each, Hunsur-76 pc Bannur-81 pc each, Nanjangud -72 and K R Nagar- 67 pc.While 65 wards in Mysore city corporation limits, 139 wards in the district limits comprising four town municipal councils and three town panchayats went for polling.Though the voting began at 7 am, voter turn out was sluggish in the morning.
It was evident with hardly 20 votes cast every hour at a booth in Chamundipuram in Mysore, while single digit votes were cast in the minority dominated areas like Mandi Mohalla, Lashkar Mohalla, Shanthinagar and others. Majority among the early electorates were either joggers or strollers, or elderly persons. However, the pace picked up after 10 am with families coming together to exercise their franchise. During lunch hour the pace dipped again, only to pick up by 4 pm as voters were seen briskly walking towards the booths.