Council elections begin on peaceful note in K'taka

Bangalore, June 17 : Nearly 25 per cent of the electorate had exercised franchise in the biennial elections to fill six vacancies to the Karnataka Legislative Council (three seats each from Graduate and Teachers constituencies) which began on a peaceful note this morning.

Police said no untoward incident had been reported in the polling held for bangalore, North Eastern and South Western graduate constituencies and Bangalore, South Eastern and South teachers constituencies.

Coalition partners of the Karnataka Development Front Janata Dal(S) and the Bharatiya Janata Party are fighting it out in the elections in which the fortune of atleast two BJP Ministers D H Shankaramurthy (Higher Education) and K Ramachandra Gowda (Science and Technology) was at stake.

In all 59 candidates are fighting it out for the six seats.

The polling was seen brisk in Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar and Bangalore, Mangalore and Shimoga districts as both graduates and teachers reached to the polling booths to cast their franchaise.

Elaborate security arrangements were made for the smooth conduct of the elctions. Extra vigil was also kept in the Naxal infested districts of Shimoga, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, police said.

UNI