K’taka bypolls see 65.57 % voting; turnout lowest in Mandya district
POLLING WAS HELD TO BELLARY, MANDYA AND SHIMOGA LS SEATS, AND RAMANAGARA AND JAMAKHANDI ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCIES
BENGALURU: An estimated 65.57 % voter turnout was recorded in Karnataka as by-elections were held in two of its assembly and three Lok Sabha constituencies on Saturday.
Polling was held in Bellary, Mandya and Shimoga parliamentary constituencies, and Ramanagara and Jamakhandi assembly segments, the results of which will be declared on Tuesday.
Among the Lok Sabha seats, Mandya saw the lowest turnout at 53.93%, down from 71.41% in 2014; while Bellary recorded 63.85%, down from 70.29% in 2014. In Shivamogga, 61.05% voters turned up, as against 72.36% in 2014. Ramanagara, too, saw a reduced turnout at 71.88%, down from 82.98% in the assembly elections in May. Jamakhandi was the only seat that saw an increased turnout with 77.17% of electors exercising their franchise, against 75.51% in May.
Elections to the Lok Sabha seats were necessitated after the incumbent members of Parliament took oath as members of Legislative Assembly following the assembly elections.
State BJP chief and former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa had vacated the Shivamogga seat after he was elected to the assembly from the Shikaripura seat, and B Sreeramulu had vacated his Bellary seat after being elected from the Molkalmuru assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, CS Puttaraju of the Janata Dal (Secular) vacated the Mandya seat after he was elected to the assembly from the Melkote constituency. He is currently the minor irrigation minister in the Congress-jd(s) coalition government.
Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy won the Ramanagara assembly seat in May but opted to take oath as the legislator of the Channapatna, the other seat he contested.
The Jamakhandi seat fell vacant in May after MLA Siddu Nyamgoud met with a road accident just days being elected.
While the BJP is contesting all five seats, the Congress and JD(S) have decided to contest together and, as a result, the Congress is contesting two and JD(S) three.