Polling in the elections to five Urban Local Bodies (ULB) — a City Municipal Council (CMC), three Town Municipal Councils (TMC) and a Town Panchayat (TP) — in Bidar district was peaceful on Wednesday.
As per data updated by the authorities at 7 p.m., Basavakalyan CMC registered a voter turnout of 66.77 % and Humnabad and Chitaguppa Town Municipal Councils (TMC) recorded a voter turnout of 63.09 %, and 70.97 %, respectively. Aurad Town Panchayat (TP) saw 76.80 % voting during the same time. Data related to Bhalki TMC was yet to be updated.
Elections were held for 31 wards in Basavakalyan CMC, 27 wards in Humnabad TMC, 23 wards in Chitaguppa TMC, 27 wards in Bhalki TMC and 20 wards in Aurad TP. A total of 430 contestants were in the fray for 138 wards in the district.
Counting of votes would be taken up on Friday in the respective taluk headquarters between 6 in the morning and midnight. To ensure smooth vote-counting and to help avoid untoward incidents, Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer H.R. Mahadeva has issued orders to close all liquor shops, except the Bidar outlet of the Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited, within a 5-km radius from the vote-counting centre on that day.
The elections held for Hipparaga SS Taluk Panchayat Ward in Jevargi taluk also went off on a smooth note. As per information provided by the Returning Officer, 4,059 of the 6,285 voters exercised their franchises (64.58 %).
