Bengaluru, May 12: In the election held for 222 assembly constituencies in the state on Saturday, more than 70 per cent voting was registered, said State Chief Election Officer Sanjeev Kumar.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha here on Saturday evening, Sanjeev Kumar said that barring some minor incidents, the polling was peaceful across the state. Interestingly, youth, women and senior citizens turned to the polling stations in more number. All departments have cooperated well with the Election Commission. He would thank all the nodal officers, para-military forces, police personnel, and election officers deputed for election related works. The election was peaceful because of the guidance of the Central Election Commission, he said.

There were reports that VVPATs were not working properly in some places. Total 212 ballot units, 340 control units and 698 VV PATs have failed to function and they were replaced immediately. More than 600 engineers of BEL have taken care of the EVMs, he said.

Because of the technical problem in the serial number 9 of EVM at polling station-2 at Lottegollahalli polling station in Hebbala constituency, it was decided to conduct re-election in that polling station on May 14 from 7 am to 6 pm. Those who have exercised their votes in that polling station should vote once again, he said.

Preparations are on for conducting elections in Jayanagar and RR Nagar constituencies where election was not held on Saturday. The counting of votes of all 222 constituencies would be conducted on May 15 and the result would also be announced on the same day, he said.

Related to election malpractices, total 40,000 FIR were registered in the state. A sum of Rs 182 crore worth cash, gold and silver ornaments, liquor and other materials were seized. Total 600 pink polling stations were set up for women and 26 were set up for physically challenged voters in the state, he said.

The allegation of Brijesh Kalappa that whichever the button is pressed in the EVM at a polling station at RMV Second Stage was going to BJP was far from truth. Such problem was cropped up only at Lottegollahalli polling station. Apart from this incident, no such incidents were reported from any parts of the state, he said.

Percentage of voting in state

Belagavi- 71%

Bagalkote- 68%

Vijayapura- 63%

Kalaburgi- 56%

Bidar- 59%

Raichur- 61%

Koppal- 70%

Gadag- 68%

Dharwad- 66%

Uttara Kannada- 71%

Haveri- 76%

Ballari – 66%

Chitradurga- 76%

Davangere- 70%

Shivamogga – 73%

Udupi- 75%

Chikmagaluru- 70%

Tumakuru-73%

Chikballapura- 79%

Kolar- 77%

Bengaluru Rural – 76%

Ramanagar- 80%

Mandya- 78%

Hassan- 77%

Dakshina Kannada-73%

Kodagu- 69%

Mysuru- 68%

Chamarajnagar- 78%

Yadagiri- 60%

Bengaluru Central- 51%

Bengaluru North- 49%

Bengaluru South- 49%

Bengaluru Urban- 51%

 

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Malegaon (Maharashtra), Nov 23: In a closely contested election, Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has retained the Malegaon Central assembly seat, winning by a razor-thin margin of 162 votes.

This victory in the north Maharashtra constituency marks a significant turnaround for Khalique, who previously enjoyed a commanding lead in the 2019 elections, winning by over one lakh votes.

Khalique, an Islamic scholar, received a total of 1,09,653 votes this time, narrowly defeating his nearest rival, Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra party, who got 1,09,491 votes.

There were a total of 13 candidates contesting in this Muslim dominated constituency. Barring Khalique and Rasheed, two other candidates -- Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed of Samajwadi Party and Ejaz Baig Aziz Baig managed below 10,000 votes. Other remaining candidates were below 1,000 votes.

This election marks Khalique's third term as an MLA. He initially represented the Malegaon Central seat in 2009 as a member of the Jan Surajya Shakti party.

However, Khalique faced a setback in the 2014 elections when he contested under the banner of the Nationalist Congress Party and lost.

His return to the assembly in 2019 under the AIMIM banner solidified his political presence, and despite the significantly reduced margin this year, he has once again emerged victorious.

The results highlight the competitive nature of the Malegaon Central constituency and underscore Khalique's resilience in maintaining his position amidst changing political dynamics.