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As voting ended in 14 constituencies in North Karnataka on Tuesday, voting was 64.93 per cent (66.56 per cent in 2014). In the first phase, 14 south Karnataka constituencies went to the polls on April 18. The State has 28 constituencies.
Polling was moderate till noon, but brisk after 3 pm. In almost all the 14 constituencies, voting ranged from 60 per cent to 73 per cent till closing hours.
Focus on Shivamogga
All eyes were on Shivamogga, where two former Chief Ministers’ sons are in the fray. Polling there was 73.59 per cent.
Prominent leaders in the fray in this phase include: Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is fighting BJP’s Umesh Jadhav in Gulbarga; the sons of former Chief Ministers S Bangarappa and BS Yedurappa, Madhu Bangarappa and BY Raghavendra, in Shivamoga; Union Ministers Anant Kumar Hegde from Uttara Kannada and Ramesh C Jigajinagi from Vijayapura and VS Ugrappa in Ballari.
Following are voting percentage in 14 parliamentary constituencies of north karnataka: Chikkodi 71.79 per cent (74.29 per cent in 2014), Belgaum 63.82 per cent (68.25 per cent), Bagalkot 68.8 per cent (68.80 per cent), Bijapur 60.28 per cent (59.58 per cent), Gulbarga 56.64 per cent (57.96 per cent), Raichur 56.56 per cent (58.32 per cent), Bidar 60.51 per cent (60.16 per cent), Koppal 67 per cent (65.6 per cent), Bellary 65.09 per cent (70.29 per cent), Haveri 70.31 per cent (71.62 per cent), Dharwar 67.19 per cent (65.99 per cent), Uttar Kannada 71.08 per cent (69.04 per cent), Davangere 59.89 per cent (73.23 per cent) and Shimoga 73.59 per cent (72.36 per cent).
MLA threatens to quit
Amidst polling, rebel Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was sacked from the JDS-Congress coalition Cabinet, speaking to reporters in his hometown Gokak in Belagavi district, hinted that he may resign his MLA seat and join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ramesh Jarkiholi was in the forefront of mobilising dissident Congress MLAs in a bid to topple the JDS-Congress alliance government, during the Budget session.
“I have decided to quit the Congress and will make it public soon,” Jarkiholi said.
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