50 pc polling by 1500 hrs in Chamundeswari bypoll

Mysore, Dec 4 (UNI) About 50 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise by 1500 hrs in the byelection to the Chamundeswari Assembly seat in Karnataka today.

Polling, which began on a dull note, picked up in the afternoon and serpentine queues were seen at many polling booths, mainly in the rural areas. Women outnumbered men in casting votes in most places.

Prohibitory orders imposed as a precautionary measure in the entire segment helped conduct of peaceful polling. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the constituency.

A 100-year-old Ningamma came to vote at a booth in Yelawala on the outskirts of the city, accompanied by her 70-year-old daughter.

As the Election Commission had announced that only voter identity cards and ration cards would be accepted to testify the identity, many voters who had temporary ration slips faced problems in entering the booths. Some voters in Kamagere Hundi found their names missing from the voters' list. Barring such minor incidents, voting went on without much problem in the entire segment.

The bypoll was necessitated with former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah resigning the seat prior to joining the Congress from the JD(S).

Taking no chance to ensure free and fair polling, the authorities have deployed more than 7,000 police personnel and seven companies of paramilitary forces near polling booths.

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