Date:16/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/16/stories/2008051650010100.htm

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Tight security for today’s polling

Special Correspondent

Over 1.10 crore voters will vote in 66 segments

Polling will be held in 12,271 booths in 10 districts
3,754 are identified hyper-sensitive and 4,282 sensitive

BANGALORE: The Election Commission has made all arrangements to ensure free and fair polling during the second phase of elections in 66 Legislative Assembly constituencies spread across 10 districts in the State on Friday. Polling will be held amid tight security.

Over 1.10 crore voters (55.24 lakh men and 55.02 lakh women) will decide the political future of 372 candidates from 15 political parties apart from 218 independents who are in the fray. Polling will be held in 12,271 booths in Raichur, Koppal, Uttara Kannada, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davangere, Shimoga, Udupi, Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada districts. As many as 3,754 booths have been classified as hyper-sensitive and 4,282 have been classified as sensitive.

In the second phase, the highest number of candidates contesting is from Bellary city (31) while Karkala constituency in Dakshina Kannada has the lowest with only two. There are 16 women candidates are in the fray. The second phase is going to witness the “battle of the educated” with several lawyers and medical doctors, post-graduates and graduates contesting the polls.

The BJP has fielded its candidates in all 66 constituencies followed by the Congress in 64, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 63, Janata Dal(S) in 61, Samajwadi Party (SP) in 31 and Janata Dal(U) in 22 constituencies. There are no Congress candidates in Davangere North and Shikaripur constituencies.

In the former, the nomination papers of the Congress candidate were declared invalid while in Shikaripur, the Congress withdrew its candidate in support of S. Bangarappa, who is contesting against the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The former Deputy Chief Minister, M.P. Prakash, is contesting on the Congress ticket against the BJP nominee Karunakara Reddy, MP, in Harappanahalli constituency in Davangere district.

Special security arrangements have been made in naxal-infested areas in Udupi, Shimoga and Chikmagalur districts, where CPI (Maoists) have given a call for poll boycott. Nearly 56,000 security personnel have been deployed in these areas.