DK beats 2013 voter turnout

Mangaluru: Voting in DK didn’t pick up right from 7 am when the booths opened up. However, voters began queuing up around 8 a.m. onwards, taking the polling percentage from a mere 7% by 9 a.m. to 24%. By the time the booths closed at 6 p.m, a whopping 77.63% of the voters from Dakshina Kannada had exercised their right, beating the 2013 percentage of 74.9%.

Addressing the press, Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil said technical problems were experienced in 24 control units, 21 ballot units and 42 VVPAT units of electronic voting machines, but were immediately resolved.

Pink booths and model booths were centers of attraction in the district. The administration had set up 20 pink booths — five each in Mangaluru City North, and South constituencies, and one each in the remaining five constituencies. These pink booths were managed entirely by female staff who donned pink clothes. Female voters enthusiastically exercised their right acknowledging the power of women.

Two model booths were set up at the Government Higher Primary School, Gandhinagar and Lady Hill School, Lady Hill, under Mangaluru City South constituencies which were decked up as if they were wedding venues. They were fully fledged with seating arrangements, play area for children and other facilities. The model booths successfully caught the voters’ attention and appreciation.

Arpitha J. Salian, a bride-to- be, found the time to get out of her own pre-wedding bash in B.C. Road to cast her vote at a booth in Bhandaribettu, which falls under Bantwal Assembly constituency.

Hundreds of Non-resident Indians working in Gulf countries exercised their franchise. Many political parties ensured that NRIs would come back to vote.