ULB polls clock 67.50% voter turnout in state

The polls to urban local bodies (ULBs) - including the three city corporations of Mysuru, Shivamogga and Tumakuru - held on Friday witnessed a voter turnout of 67.50%.

The voting, held for 102 ULBs, will decide the fate of 9,154 candidates from 2,654 wards. Polling was by and large peaceful.

Among the city corporations, Tumakuru topped the list with 59.34% turnout, followed by Shivamogga (58.47%). Mysuru recorded a voter turnout of 50.52%.

The 29 city municipal councils, 53 town municipal councils and 20 town panchayats which went to polls fared much better than the city corporations - clocking a voter turnout ranging between 65 and 75%

“As polling was held till 5 pm, we are getting voting percentages from various municipalities and it is being compiled. The final figures will be available on Saturday,” State Election Commissioner P N Srinivasachari said.

He said polling was peaceful across the state with no untoward incidents reported. In Mysuru city corporation limits, Rs 3.25 lakh cash which was being distributed to voters has been seized and a case booked, Srinivasachari said.

Counting of votes will be taken up from 8 am onwards on September 3 at jurisdictional district headquarters for city corporations and jurisdictional taluk headquarters for other ULBs.

All the three parties are looking at winning the maximum number of seats to galvanise the party cadres for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. As per an earlier announcement by the State Election Commission, elections were scheduled to be held to 105 ULBs. However, owing to torrential rains and flooding in Kodagu, elections to three ULBs - Somwarpet, Virajpet and Kushalnagar - have been kept in abeyance. The SEC is waiting for normalcy to return to the district before announcing the poll dates.

The JD(S) and the Congress, who are alliance partners in the coalition government, went alone in the municipal polls.

The outcome of the polls is unlikely to threaten the stability of the coalition government but will definitely set the tone for pre-poll tie-up between alliance partners for the Lok Sabha polls.