Second phase of Karnataka Gram Panchayat polls underway

Bengaluru: Voting for a total of 2,709 panchayats of 109 taluks in Karnataka is underway in the second phase of Gram Panchayat elections on Sunday, December 27.

There are 1,05,431 candidates in the fray for 39,378 seats. Polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm in over 20,728 booths. A total of 3,697 candidates have been elected unopposed already, poll officials said.

The election is happening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who have tested positive or under primary/secondary contacts can vote in the last hour of polling.

Elaborate security and COVID-related precautionary measures have been made for the voting, they said, adding that wearing masks and maintaining social distancing is mandatory. Hand sanitizers will be available in polling booths.

The number of voters in each booth has been reduced from 1,500 to 1,000. Anganwadi, ASHA workers, and Health Department officials have been roped in for poll duty.

Though these polls don’t take place on party symbols, all political parties have put in efforts to ensure that the candidate supported by them wins, so as to have their hold on grassroots level politics, which may prove advantageous for them in taluk or zilla panchayat and even assembly polls whenever it happens.

Polling for 3,019 panchayats in 117 taluks were held in the first phase on December 22, and the counting for both phases will take place on December 30.