MLC by-elections from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi constituencies register 97.91% polling

Mangaluru: The MLC by-election from Dakshina Kannada (DK) and Udupi local authorities' constituency was conducted peacefully in both the districts on Monday. The polling was held till 4 pm in 392 polling booths in the constituency.

The constituency (covering DK and Udupi) registered 97.91 per cent polling. In the MLC election held in 2021, the constituency had registered 99.55 per cent polling. In DK, a few panchayats had registered 100 per cent polling by 1 pm.

Out of 6032 voters in the constituency, 5906 have cast their franchise. Byndoor taluk registered (88.80 per cent), Kundapura (93.59 per cent), Brahmavara (98.83 per cent), Udupi (99.18 per cent), Kaup (97.77 per cent), Hebri (99.18 per cent), Karkala (99.28 per cent), Moodbidri (100 per cent), Mulki (98.29 per cent), Mangaluru (98.33 per cent), Ullal (98.13 per cent), Bantwal (99.24 per cent), Belthangady (98.82 per cent), Puttur (99.20 per cent), Sullia (97.67 per cent), and Kadaba (99.65 per cent).

Out of 2904 male voters, 2839 have exercised their franchise while out of 3128 women voters, 3067 have cast their votes.

The fate four candidates Kishore Kumar (BJP), Raju Poojary (Congress), Anwar Sadat (SDPI), and Dinakar Ullal (Independent) were sealed in ballot papers and the counting will be held at St Aloysius College in Mangaluru on October 24.

The by-election was held to the seat vacated by Kota Srinivas Poojary of the BJP who was elected as Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chikmagaluru Lok Sabha constituency.

The vacancy was created on June 15, 2024, following Poojary’s resignation to the Council. His term in the council was until January 2028.

The polling booth situated at Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) saw brisk voting with the corporators standing in a queue in the morning itself.

Kokkada gram panchayat member Sharath exercised his franchise at Kokkada polling booth before heading to the marriage hall for his marriage.

As an elected representative from Mulki town panchayat is in prison in a case, he remained absent to the polling. While Aikala GP President Diwakar Chowta could not cast his vote as he was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mangaluru following an accident.

The constituency had 53 sensitive polling booths. GP members, corporators of the Mangaluru City Corporation, members of city municipal councils, town municipal councils, town panchayats, MLAs, MLCs, and Lok Sabha members from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are eligible voters.

However, Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole and MLC Prathap Simha Nayak, who do not represent any of the local bodies, are left out of the voters' list.

As per rules, MLAs, MLCs and MPs should be representing any of the city corporation, municipality, town panchayat, taluk panchayat or zilla panchayat to get the voting right in the MLC election to the Local Authorities’ Constituency.

DK MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, MLAs D Vedavyas Kamath, Dr Y Bharath Shetty, MLCs Ivan D’Souza, Manjunath Bhandari exercised their franchise at the polling booth situated at MCC. Mangalore MLA and Assembly Speaker U T Khader exercised his franchise at Ullal CMC.

Booths in Madappady and Konaje panchayats had only five voters each. With 793 elected representatives, Bantwal taluk had the largest number of voters.

Hebri taluk had the lowest of nine polling booths with 122 voters. Hallihole and Yedamogge gram panchayats in Udupi had the lowest of six voters each. Belthangady taluk had the highest of 49 polling booths.

MLA Bharath Shetty expressed confidence in the BJP candidate winning the election with the highest majority.

During the BJP government's tenure, Kota Srinivas Poojary served as an MLC and minister, performing commendable work in both districts.

He particularly focused on empowering the gram panchayat and zilla panchayat areas by releasing grants and strengthening the Panchayat Raj system. Elected representatives of local bodies favour the BJP, he added.