The Hindu : Front Page : Campaigning ends for panchayat elections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 22, 2005

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Campaigning ends for panchayat elections

Special Correspondent

13 districts go to polls tomorrow

BANGALORE: Campaigning for the second phase of the zilla and taluk panchayat elections to be held on Friday ended at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The campaigning was by and large peaceful throughout the State. The 13 districts going to the polls in the second phase are Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Chitradurga, Davangere, Kolar, Tumkur, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Bellary, Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur and Koppal.

Re-polling in 28 booths in Hassan, Mandya and Mysore districts will be held on Friday. Re-polling in those booths was ordered because of defective ballot papers in 14 booths in Hassan and minor incidents of violence during the December 19 polling in 14 booths, according to the State Election Commission.

The first phase of elections was held in 14 districts on Monday. On Friday, elections will be held for 510 zilla panchayat and 1,905 taluk panchyat seats.

As many as 2,400 candidates are in the fray for the zilla panchyat seats and 7,595 candidates for the taluk panchayat seats. About 1.42 crore people are eligible to vote. The Election Commission has identified 5,955 booths as sensitive and 5,685 booths as hypersensitive.

Of the 510 zilla panchayat constituencies, the Congress is contesting 506, the BJP 404, the Janata Dal (Secular) 481, the Bahujan Samaj Party 105, the Samajwadi Party 296, the Communist Party of India candidates eight, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) 30, the Nationalist Congress Party eight, the Janata Dal (United) 29, the All India Progressive Janata Dal 139, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha four, the Janata Party 10, the Republican Party of India three, the Bharatiya Praja Paksha 1 and independents 375.

Re-polling

The Commission has ordered re-polling in nine polling booths in Alur and Karagod taluks, one in Holenarasipur taluk (booth No. 77), two in Sakleshpur (booth No. 117 and 78), and two in Hassan taluk (booth No. 47 and 87) following defective ballot papers. The Election Commission has decided to hold re-polling in seven booths in Nagamangala taluk and six booths in Krishnarajanagar taluk (booth nos. 117, 118, 1119, 122, 123 and 124) following booth capturing during polling on Monday.

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