GP polls: supporters flood roads outside counting centre

Thousands of people milled outside Maharaja’s Pre-University College on Jhansi Lakshmi Bai (JLB) Road in the city, where counting of votes cast in the gram panchayat elections in Mysuru taluk were taken up, throwing traffic out of gear.

While the traffic was diverted from the counting centre, police had to resort to mild caning several times to keep the restive crowd at bay even as scenes of jubilation by the victorious candidates were played out on the roads outside the counting centre.

The process of counting of votes cast during polling held on May 29 to elect 876 members in 37 gram panchayats of Mysuru taluk began at around 8 a.m. Of the 947 members, 65 had been elected unopposed.

The crowds, which began arriving as early as 7 a.m., swelled by around 9.30 a.m., spilling on adjoining D. Devaraj Urs Road, Krishna Vilas Road, Rama Vilas Road, Oval Grounds and the vicinity of the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Traffic police erected barricades near Metropole Circle and Ramaswamy Circle before diverting traffic, including city buses, to other routes. Several roads in the vicinity of the counting centre were choked with traffic due to the diversion.

With prohibitory orders in force, the crowd had to be kept at least 200 metres away from the counting centre. But, repeated attempts by the restive crowd to break the cordon and surge towards the counting centre led to police resorting to swinging their canes. The candidates and their polling agents had been provided with passes by the district administration. But, altercations broke out between candidates’ supporters and police over their demands to enter the counting centre without passes. Though police had earmarked space for parking of vehicles of the candidates and their supporters in Scouts and Guides Grounds, Krishnaraja Boulevard and Maharaja’s College grounds, a large number of vehicles were parked on the lanes and by-lanes near the counting centre.

Tea stalls, push-cart vendors dealing in cucumber and groundnuts, besides kiosks selling fruit juices and ice-creams did a roaring business.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shekar H.T. told  The Hindu  that the police had deployed more than 450 police personnel at the venue. Apart from senior police officials, including assistant commissioners, inspectors and sub inspectors of police, more than 350 constables including 40 women, four platoons of CAR and two platoons of KSRP had been deployed. A commando force comprising 25 personnel and mounted police personnel too had been stationed at the counting centre.

Mysuru taluk tahsildar Naveen Joseph supervised the counting, which was taken up in three rounds for 34 gram panchayats while it was taken up on two rounds for the remaining three gram panchayats, officials said.