Date:27/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/27/stories/2008122750250100.htm

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Eight segments go to polls today

S. Rajendran

Four Ministers in the fray; 12 lakh voters to exercise their franchise

Counting of votes to be taken up on December 30
All arrangements in place for peaceful elections

BANGALORE: The crucial byelections for eight Legislative Assembly seats, though not really regarded as a forerunner to the next Lok Sabha elections given the fact that political parties are yet to finalise their alliances and with issues in the present round of elections being markedly different, will be gone through on Saturday. The votes will be counted on December 30.

The byelections were necessitated following a new approach to defections.

Seven MLAs elected on the Congress ticket and the Janata Dal (S) ticket in the May 2008 elections crossed over to the BJP after resigning from their membership of the Legislative Assembly.

Four of them are members of the B.S. Yeddyurappa Ministry and all the four are contesting in the byelection.

The Ministers, who do not make the grade, have to quit since they have already served nearly six months in office without being members of either House of the legislature. Sources in the Election Commission and the State police told The Hindu that arrangements had been made to ensure peaceful elections.

Over 12 lakh people are eligible to vote in the eight constituencies coming in the jurisdiction of six districts. The constituencies are Hukkeri and Arabhavi in Belgaum district, Turuvekere and Madhugiri in Tumkur district, Deodurga in Raichur district, Karwar in Uttara Kannada district, Maddur in Mandya district and Doddaballapur in Bangalore Rural district.

State Chief Electoral Officer M.N. Vidyashankar told The Hindu that tight security would mark the byelections in all eight constituencies which had been classified as sensitive.

Each of the 1,613 polling stations would have a micro-observer and a videographer. During the month-long high voltage campaign, the authorities seized Rs. 38 lakh in cash and liquor estimated at Rs. 1.2 crore from various political parties and constituencies.