41.5 pc polling till 1 PM in Chincholi, Kundgol
Bengaluru: An estimated 41.5 per cent of the over 3.8 crore electorate exercised their franchise till 1 PM in the bypolls to Chincholi and Kundgol assembly constituencies.
The polls were by and large peaceful except for some snags reported in VVPATs, which were changed.
There were reports of EVMs developing problems in Chikkanarthi and Yalaguppi in Kundgol. However, the joint chief electoral officer A V Surya Sen refuted them.
Sen said 10 VVPATs in Chincholi and 2 VVPATs in Kundgol were changed. "No snags or stoppage of elections anywhere. All (complaints) were attended to," Sen added.
The bypolls are crucial for both the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance and the opposition BJP with the latter maintaining that a victory for it would boost its numbers in the assembly and have political implications.
The Chincholi bypoll was necessitated by the resignation ofUmesh Jadhav, who quit Congress and joined BJP to contest the recent Lok Sabha polls from Gulbarga, while Kundgol seat fell vacant following the death of Minister C S Shivalli.
There are a total of 17 candidates in the fray in Chincholi and eight in Kundgol segments. The main contest will be between the nominees of the Congress, supported by JDS, and the BJP.
BJP has fielded S I Chikkanagowdar and Umesh Jadhavs son Avinash Jadhav from Kundgol and Chincholi assembly seats respectively. The Congress candidates are Subash Rathod in Chincholi and Kusumavathi, wife of Shivalli, in Kundgol.
There are a total of 1,93,869 voters in Chincholi, while Kundgol has 1,89,444 voters.
Voting is on in 455 polling stations (241 in Chincholi and 214 in Kundgol), where 695 Control Units, 1,051 Ballot Units, 916 VVPATs are being used.
The election results would have its bearing in the coalition government, where both Congress and JD(S) leaders have been airing their differences publicly
There has also been growing clamour within Congress for its leader Siddaramaiah to become Chief Minister once again.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
