The election to the Legislative Council from the dual-member local authorities constituency of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi was peaceful on Friday. The constituency recorded 99.55% polling and there was 100% polling in five taluks.
Of the total 6,040 voters in the constituency, 6,013 voters exercised their franchise between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to the Assistant Returning Officer of the constituency.
Counting will be taken up on Tuesday at Rosario Pre University and Degree College here.
100% polling
A 100% polling was recorded in Byndoor and Hebri taluks in Udupi district and at Moodbidri, Bantwal and Kadaba taluks in Dakshina Kannada. Polling was held in 14 taluks in the twin districts.
The lowest polling of 98.96% was recorded in Kaup taluk of Udupi district. Polling was above 99% and below 100% in eight other taluks in the constituency comprising Kundapur, Brahmavar, Udupi, Karkala (all in Udupi district), Mangaluru, Belthangady, Puttur and Sullia.
A majority of polling stations recorded 99% polling and some, 100% by noon.
‘BJP will win 15 seats’
Meanwhile, president of the State unit of the the BJP Nalin Kumar Kateel voted at a polling station in Mangaluru City Corporation.
Speaking to media persons after casting his vote, Mr. Kateel exuded the confidence that the party will win 15 of the 20 seats it has contested in the State.
Mr. Kateel, who is also a Member of Parliament from Dakshina Kannada, said that the party fielded its candidates in 20 of the total 25 seats in the State. If the party wins 15 seats, it will be enough to get a majority for the BJP in the Council, he said.
He said that he is confident that Minister for Social Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary from the BJP, who is facing the election from the local authorities constituency of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi for the fourth term in a row, will win the election this time too with a huge margin.
Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath and Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharat Shetty cast their votes at the corporation polling booth in the city and Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader voted in the Ullal City Municipality polling booth.
The Congress has fielded Manjunath Bhandary, founder and chairman, Bhandary Foundation, which manages Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which is contesting this election for the first time, has fielded Shafi Bellare.
