Elections to 14 ULBs conclude in K'taka; 59.67 % voter turnout in MCC polls

Mangaluru/Bengaluru: Barring a few incidents of skirmishes involving BJP and Congress workers, elections to the 14 Urban Local Bodies in Karnataka were held peacefully on Tuesday, officials said.

The local bodies that went to polls are two major municipal corporations of Mangaluru and Davangere and six city municipal councils, three town municipal councils and three town Panchayats in seven districts.

These ULBs comprised 418 wards where till 3 pm, 55.27 per cent polling was registered, sources in the State Election Commission said. Polling registered was 59.67 per cent for 60 wards of Mangaluru City Corporation.

As many as 1,587 candidates, including 386 from Congress, 363 from BJP and 233 of JD(S), contested the polls. There were 475 independent candidates, the sources added.

The counting of votes will take place on November 14.

There was a face-off between the BJP and Congress supporters at Kanakapura but police intervened and diffused the situation. A similar incident was reported in Mangaluru at Jeppu polling booth where a verbal spat ensued between BJP workers and MLC Ivan D’Souza. The situation was brought under control by security personnel.

BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, BJP MLA Vedvyas Kamath and Congress veteran Shamanur Shivashankarappa are among the prominent people who exercised his franchise in Mangaluru.

Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Kateel expressed confidence that BJP would win Mangaluru and Davangere corporations and also in a large number of other ULBs.