Slow and steady, north Karnataka voters turn up at booths
Bengaluru (PTI): The second phase of polling in Karnataka on Tuesday went on so smoothly that booth officials dressed up in costumes in Shivamogga managed to snag much of the attention.
Not only did the election officials dress up as kings and queens, the booth also had a throne for voters to take selfies flaunting their inked fingers.
Despite the searing heat, people turned up to cast their votes, and the polling percentage breaching the 50% mark by 3 pm. In the last Lok Sabha Election, also held in two phases in 2019, a voter turnout of 68.66% was registered in the 14 constituencies of north Karnataka.
Earlier Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena had told PTI that elaborate planning went into booth management to mitigate any unforeseen incidents.
Explaining, Meena said they had details about the number of young voters, women, servicemen, elderly and disabled voters, and checked whether polling stations are equipped with all facilities or not.
Noting the turnout last time, the plan also took into consideration what people were saying about why they did not vote, what they wanted, what should be done to enhance the voter percentage, he said.
According to him, every constituency had five 'Sakhi booths' decorated in pink and wholly managed by women polling personnel.
Apart from the Sakhi booths, there were also 'Go Green' booths that were decorated to create awareness about the climate crisis.
Meanwhile, just as Bengaluru saw a host of shops and restaurants offer discounts and freebies to encourage people to vote, a liquor shop in Hubballi has promised discounts for those who vote.
Karnataka Wines Shop on Kusugal Road has announced that people with inked fingers will get a 3% discount on MRP on May 8, the day after polling.
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Karnataka HM G Parameshwara blames EVM for Cong debacle in Maharashtra, backs ballot papers
BENGALURU: Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara on Monday alleged Electronic Voting Machine manipulations led to the defeat of Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in just concluded assembly polls in Maharashtra.
While speaking to reporters here on Monday, he said the BJP does selective manipulations to convince people that there were no wrongdoings. He also wanted to go back to the paper ballots system.
The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra won a landslide victory in the assembly elections, shattering the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream to wrest power. The BJP won the highest ever 132 seats for the party, while the Shiv Sena led by Shinde bagged 57 seats and NCP won 41 seats to take the Mahayuti total to 230 seats. Congress as part of MVA won just 16 seats.
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"We analysed the Maharashtra poll outcome deeply. We felt that in many places EVMs were manipulated," Parameshwara said. He also said an obvious question would be why not it happened in Jharkhand and elsewhere. The manipulations are done selectively so that no one can question it, he blamed.
According to him, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is a leading partner. Had the Congress been the leading partner, things would have changed. He backed the ballot papers saying that the same was discussed in Maharashtra Congress as well.
