Bantwal: Netravathi River which was overflowing and had crossed the danger mark due to continuous rainfall in Western Ghats and Coastal Karnataka, is now flowing within the range since Sunday morning.

The river on Friday night and Saturday morning had touched water level at 11.7 meters, much more than safety mark of 8.5 meters raising concerns for local residents. But the river was flowing at 10.7 meters on Saturday evening while further scaled down to 10.5 meters at night.

On Sunday morning Bantwal Tahsildar Rashmi SR informed that the river was flowing at 9.1 meters on as the rainfall had decreased.

The traffic movement that was stopped on road between Bantwal-Dharmasthala due to water logging on road has now been open for traffic as the water level has been decreasing overnight.

Families in the local residential areas who were evacuated have also returned home on Sunday.

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Patna (PTI): Voting is underway for five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar on Monday, with five nominees from the ruling NDA and one from the opposition RJD contesting the biennial polls, an official said.

BJP national president Nitin Nabin, also the five-time MLA from Bankipur assembly seat, RJD's national working president Tejashwi Yadav, BJP MLA Maithili Thakur, and jailed JD(U) legislator Anant Singh, among others, cast their ballots.

The polling, which commenced at 9 am, will continue till 5 pm in the Bihar Assembly complex, where MLAs are casting their ballots, he said.

Counting will begin after 5 pm, and the results are expected to be declared the same day.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar and Nabin are among the NDA candidates. The other three nominees from the ruling coalition are Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha, both sitting members of the Rajya Sabha, and BJP's Shivesh Kumar, who is seeking a berth in the Upper House of Parliament for the first time.

Yadav, after casting his vote, said, "Our candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh will win as we have got support from the five MLAs of AIMIM and one BSP legislator."

Talking to reporters on Monday, JD(U)'s national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said, "NDA's all five candidates will win. We don't care what opposition parties are claiming."

The AIMIM announced on Sunday that all five of its MLAs would support the RJD candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Talking to reporters after casting his vote, Singh said, "If Nitish Kumar does not remain the CM, I will not contest polls next time. My children will contest elections."

Singh, the Mokama MLA, was arrested ahead of the assembly polls last year in connection with the killing of Dular Chand Yadav, a rival gangster who was supporting the local candidate of Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party.

Singh, who has since been unable to secure bail, was allowed to cast his vote on parole.

With numbers comfortably in favour of the NDA for four seats and marginally short for the fifth, the opposition forced an election by fielding the RJD's candidate.

The state administration has made adequate security arrangements to ensure a smooth election, an official said.

The NDA aims to win all five seats but needs support from three legislators from the opposition bench to achieve that.

The Grand Alliance kept its MLAs at a hotel in the state capital to prevent alleged poaching by rivals.

However, the NDA organised meetings with its legislators at the residences of ministers and senior leaders in the state's capital on Sunday.

The NDA enjoys a brute majority in the assembly, though its tally of 202 in the 243-member House falls three short of the number needed to secure all five Rajya Sabha seats.

To win a Rajya Sabha berth, one needs the support of at least 41 MLAs in the Bihar assembly.