The State recorded a high of 67.28 per cent polling in the elections to the 16th Lok Sabha and the third highest since 1951-52, when the first of the elections were held.
While Dakshina Kannada recorded the highest polling of 77.18 per cent, Bangalore South constituency was the lowest at 55.69 per cent. In all, 13 constituencies recorded more than 70 per cent polling.
The high percentage of polling proved the political pundits wrong, much to the pleasure of the Election Commission which had approved the calendar. Political parties, and in particular, the Bharatiya Janata Party had complained that the polling date being in the midst of several holidays would result in people preferring to holiday rather than stay back and vote.
It should be noted that the State had recorded the highest percentage of polling in 1999 (67.58) which was marginally higher than the 67.53 per cent in 1989. A total of 434 candidates are in the fray in 28 constituencies and the counting of votes is scheduled on May 16.
The percentage of polling in the other constituencies are Chikkodi – 74.58, Belgaum – 68.43, Bagalkot – 68.88, Bijapur (SC) – 59.71, Gulbarga – 57.90, Raichur (ST)- 58.27, Bidar – 60.15, Koppal- 65.59, Bellary (ST)- 70.28, Haveri – 71.60, Dharwad – 65.95, Uttara Kannada – 69.20, Davanagere – 73.20, Shimoga – 72.31, Udupi-Chikmagalur – 74.46, Hassan – 73.50, Chitradurga (SC) – 66.07, Tumkur – 72.50, Mandya – 71.42, Mysore – 66.53, Chamarajanagar (SC) – 72.81, Bangalore Rural – 68.80, Bangalore North – 56.47, Bangalore Central – 55.70, Chickballapur – 76.06, and Kolar (SC) – 75.50
The polling was impressive in all 28 constituencies as compared to the voting percentage of 58.81 in 2009 elections. The turnout in 2004 Lok Sabha elections was 65.14 per cent and 72 per cent in the 2013 Assembly elections.
Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha said all the three city constituencies of Bangalore — Bangalore South, Central, and North — have recorded good turnout. “I am very happy about the polling percentage in the entire State,” he said. However, the percentage of polling is 5 per cent less when compared to 2013 Assembly elections, he said.
