A man casting his vote at a polling booth at Board High School during the Legislative Council elections, in Udupi on Monday. | Photo Credit: UMESH S. SHETTIGAR
Voters gathered at a polling booth at Board High School during Legislative Council elections, in Udupi on Monday. | Photo Credit: UMESH S. SHETTIGAR
Voters gathered at a polling booth at Board High School during Legislative Council elections, in Udupi on Monday. | Photo Credit: UMESH S. SHETTIGAR
Udupi district reported 74.17% polling in South West Graduates’ Constituency and 80.75% polling in South West Teachers’ Constituency in the Legislative Council elections conducted on Monday.
Of 17,033 voters in Graduates’ Constituency in the district, 12,633 voters exercised their franchise. In all, 6,494 (70.77%) voters of 9,176 female voters and 6,139 (78.13%) voters of 7,857 male voters voted in the same constituency.
According to K. Vidyakumari, Deputy Commissioner of Udupi and the Assistant Election Officer, 3,284 voters of 4,067 total voters voted in the Teachers’ Constituency in the district. As many as 1,808 voters of 2,350 women voters and 1,476 voters of 1,717 male voters voted in the Teachers’ Constituency.
Reports said that the BJP and the Congress workers exchanged words at the Kaup polling station for sometime over trying to attract voters to vote for their respective candidates. Police who intervened dispersed workers of both the parties.
Former BJP MLA from Udupi K. Raghupathi Bhat who contested as rebel in South West Graduates’ Constituency against the party’s official candidate Dhananjaya Sarji, a doctor from Shivamogga, cast his vote at Government Pre University College in Manipal.
Speaking to presspersons later, he exuded the confidence of winning the election.
K. Raghupathi Bhat, BJP rebel candidate for the Legislative Council elections from South West Graduates’ Constituency, casting his vote at Government Pre University College in Manipal on Monday. | Photo Credit: UMESH S. SHETTIGAR
Mr. Bhat alleged that the BJP has distributed ₹2,000 each to voters in Shivamogga, Chikkamgaluru and Kodagu districts. “It was informed to me by people who called up from those districts,” he said and added, “Money has been distributed to voters in the South West Graduates’ Constituency to lure them for the first time. There was no such system of distributing covers to voters in the constituency earlier by the BJP.”
“Some persons told me that they will accept the covers since the BJP candidate has money but will vote for me,” Mr. Bhat said.
“But the Congress has not distributed money in the constituency this time and earlier,” he maintained.
Fake video
Mr. Bhat said that some vested interests had created a fake video ahead of the polls and uploaded it on social media spreading false information that he had retired from the polls. It was an attempt to mislead the voters, he said.
