27 lakhs voters to exercise franchise

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 10. Over 27.07 lakhs voters will exercise their franchise in the sixth Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council polls on Sunday. As many as 739 candidates are in the fray in the 100 wards of the BMP.

The BMP, in association with the City police, the Bangalore Urban District authorities, and the State Election Commission (SEC), has made elaborate arrangements for the peaceful conduct of the polls.

According to the Deputy Commissioner (Administration), BMP, Dr. K.N. Chandrashekar, 3,301 polling parties constituted to conduct polling, reached the polling stations on Saturday morning to make arrangements. Polling will begin at 7 a.m. on Sunday, and end at 5 p.m.

Major contenders: As many as 1,342 aspirants filed their nominations for the elections, and 603 withdrew their papers. The Congress and the BJP are contesting 100 seats each, the Janata Dal (Secular) 90, and the JD (United) 83.

While the Communist Party of India (CPI) is contesting two wards, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has fielded a candidate in one ward. The AIADMK is in fray in six wards, and the DMK in one ward.

The NCP is contesting for one seat, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for six seats. Besides, there are 349 independents in the fray, including party ``rebels'' contesting against candidates nominated by parties.

Prominent among the candidates are over 25 corporators, including the leader of the Congress in the BMP Council, Mr. P.R. Ramesh, the Opposition leader, Mr. S.K. Nataraj, the corporators - Mr. K. Chandrashekar (Hanumanthnagar), Ms. G. Padmavathy (Ramamandir), and Mr. Veda Vyas Bhat (Mavalli) - and the spouses of two former Mayors - Mr. Gangadhar Gowda and Ms. Ansuya J. Huchappa.

Leaders have a stake: The BMP Council elections have become a matter of prestige for the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, the former Prime Minister, Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda, and the Union Minister for Urban Development, Mr. Ananth Kumar. Apart from them, leaders of all parties, including the Union ministers, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, Mr. V. Dhananjaya Kumar, and Mr. V. Srinivasa Prasad, and the former Chief Minister, Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde, the Chennai Mayor, Mr. M.K. Stalin, and the President of the Tamil Nadu Congress, Mr. E.V.K.S. Elangovan, campaigned for their party candidates.

Triangular contest: The Congress, which captured power in the BMP Council two years ago with the help of independents and defectors, is making efforts to come to power on its own.

Although the BJP is giving a fierce fight, surveys reveal that the elections are likely to witness a triangular contest among the Congress, the BJP, and the JD(S) in most wards.

With the SEC not having fixed any ceiling on the poll expenses of candidates, it was evident that they spent huge sums. In violation of the norms, and despite the BMP's clampdown on poll paraphernalia, banners, buntings, and cut-outs were put up in every nook and corner of the City.

Of the 100 wards, 35 seats have been set apart for the general category, 18 for women from the general category, 18 for BC(A), four for BC(B), nine for BC(A) women, two for BC(B) women, one for ST woman, five for SC women, and eight for SCs.

After the polls in 1996, the erstwhile Janata Dal had a majority in the council with 39 seats of its own and independents supporting the party.

There were three mayors from the party. After the Congress formed the government in 1999, and the JD split, 18 members of the latter joined the Congress. Two Congress mayors were elected with the support of the JD(S).

The following is the party position in the outgoing BMP Council: Congress: 38; BJP: 25, JD(S): 25, JD(U): 10, AIADMK: 1, DMK: 1, and nominated corporators: 2.

FACT FILE

No. of wards: 100
No. of candidates: 739
No. of voters: 27.07 lakhs
Female voters: 13.30 lakhs
Male voters: 14.45 lakhs 
No. of booths: 3,301
No. of sensitive booths: 771
No. of hypersensitive booths: 354
No. of polling officers: 3,589
No of officers on poll duty: 14,039
No. of vehicles deployed: 805

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