36.61% voter turnout reported till 1 pm in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Karnataka registered 36.61 per cent voter turnout during the first half of second phase of polling for the remaining 14 out of total 28 Lok Sabha constituencies Tuesday.
The highest turnout was recorded in Shimogga with 41.66 per cent and the lowest in Gulbarga with 30.48 per cent till 1PM, poll officials said.
Interestingly, both Shimogga and Gulbarga are high profile constituencies.
In Shimogga, former Chief Minister and state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra is pitted against another former Chief Minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu of JD(S).
Raghavendra had defeated Madhu during the bypolls held in November last year, and is seeking re-election. Madhu is the joint candidate of the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance.
In Gulbarga, the battle is between Congress leader inLok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP's Umesh Jadhav.
Jadhav against whom the Congress had moved the assembly speaker seeking his disqualification had quit as Congress MLA ahead of polls and joined the BJP.
This election is said to be a tough one for Kharge, a nine-time MLA and two-term Lok Sabha member who has never tasted electoral defeat.
Voting began at 7 AM in 28,022 polling stations thatare mostly in the northern belt of the state, covering theentire Hyderabad-Karnataka and Mumbai-Karnataka regions, acouple of central districts and coastal Uttara Kannada.
As many as 2,43,03,279 voters are eligible to choosefrom among 237 candidates in the fray in the second phase.
Of the 14 constituencies in the second phase, BJP is contesting all the seats while Congress and JD(S), who have an alliance, have fielded their candidates in 12 and 2 constituencies respectively as per the seat sharing arrangement.
The Congress currently has its hold on only 4 out of 14 seats - Chikkodi, Gulbarga, Bellary, Raichur- while the BJP has its sitting MPs in 10 seats.
The 14 constituencies in southern part of the state covering old Mysuru region and couple of coastal districts hadgone to polls on April 18, recording an overall voter turnoutof 68.81 per cent.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
