As Candidates' future secured in EVMs, all eyes on Nov.6
Bengaluru,Nov.3: The by-poll elections for three lok sabha and two assembly seats in the state, that was seen as the crucial decider for upcoming general election in 2019, was ended peacefully on Saturday.
As the future of all the candidates is secured in the EVMs, now its agonising wait for them till Nov.6.
Voting that was started with low note on Saturday morning 7am picked up some moment in the afternoon. People visited their nearby polling booths and exercised their rights with enthusiasm.
In some places due to technical hiccups polling was delayed. Apart from few incidents of election boycott, voting was almost peaceful.
This election had created immense curiosity as it was considered as the direct fight between congress-JDS coalition and BJP. The result will be known only on Nov.6.
While by-elections were held in Ballari, Shivamogga and Mandya, in Jamakhandi and Ramanagar by-poll was held for assembly seats.
More than 30 candidates including, V.S Ugrappa-J.Shanta, Madhu Bangarappa- B.Y Raghavendra, L.R Shivaramegowda- Dr. Siddaramaiah, Anita Kumaraswamy, Anand Nyamagouda and Shrikant Kulkarni were in the frey.
B.Y Raghavendra contesting from Shivamogga constituency visited polling booth no.132 at Shikaripur taluk panchayat building along with his family. Madhu Bangarappa along with his family cast vote at Soraba booth no.31.
Ballari BJP candidate J. Shanta cast her vote at Ballari women and children development department office poll booth along with her son-in-law. Actor Ambareesh cast his right at booth no.164 at Maddoor Doddarasinakere.
Ally candidate Anand Nyamagouda cast his vote along with his family in Jamakhandi booth no. 125. MLA K.S Eshwarappa, Somashekar Reddy, former speaker D.H Shankaramurthy and other leaders cast their votes in various polling booths.
For the first time election commission had provided special vehicle facility for physically disabled people.
Villagers of Haraginadoni in Ballari boycotted the election demanding basic facilities to the village including drinking water.
High security was deployed in all five polling stations. Section 144 was imposed in the polling area. Local police along with central reserve police force was deployed to maintain law and order in the region.
Voting percentages:
Jamakhandi - 81.58%
Ramanagara - 73.71%
Ballari - 63.85%
Shivamogga - 61.05%
Mandya - 53.93%
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
