CHANNAPTANA/BENGALURU : The high-voltage bypoll to the Channapatna Assembly constituency on Wednesday witnessed a massive voter turnout of 88.8%. The voter attendance here in the 2023 Assembly polls was 85.27%.
Many factors have been attributed to this massive 3.5% jump in voter turnout, including the fight being intense, allurements to voters, and the five guarantee schemes. Being a high-stakes battle, both sides allegedly doled out large amounts of cash and freebies to woo voters.
While NDA has fielded Nikhil Kumaraswamy, CP Yogeshwara made the cut from Congress after he switched from BJP to the Grand Old Party recently.
Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner Yashwant V Gurukar put the final turnout at 88.8%, with 2,06,866 of the total 2,32,996 voters exercising their franchise.
Channapanta, the Land of Toys, that has witnessed several tough elections in the past saw a fierce battle this time as well with the two actors-turned-politicians from the dominant Vokkaliga community — former minister
Yogeshwara and Nikhil, son of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda — locking horns.
The bypoll was necessitated after Kumaraswamy resigned as MLA following his election to the Lok Sabha.
Stakes are high for both the Gowda family and DK Brothers, who have pulled out all the stops to reign supreme in this Vokkaliga heartland.
Even as polling was on, election officials on Wednesday seized Rs 1.16 lakh from a Congress leader who was allegedly distributing cash to voters near a polling station in Bada Makhan area and filed an FIR.
At a few places, coupons to buy chicken, flour, cooking oil, and carbonated drinks were also distributed to voters.
“At Akkuru, a JDS worker was caught handing out cash to voters. A non-cognisable case was filed against him based on video evidence,” Returning Officer Binay, Ramanagara assistant commissioner, told The New Indian Express.
Overall, the ECI seized allurements worth Rs 30 crore, with liquor topping the chart at Rs 29 crore.
Before voting began, Nikhil sought blessings of Kengal Anjaneya at Ayyanagudi. The young JDS leader did not cast his franchise here as he is a registered voter of Kethaganahalli in the Magadi Assembly constituency. Yogeshwara and his wife Sheela cast their vote at a polling station in Chakkere village.
As 31 candidates were in the fray, two ballot units were linked to the electronic voting machines (EVMs). But confusion prevailed for a while at a polling booth in Honganuru town after JDS workers alleged that the ballot units were being interchanged. Nikhil visited the spot. Congress leaders expressed their concern over a similar issue at a polling station in Mangalavarpete.
Election Commission officials said they have sorted out the issue and the ballot units were in order and not interchanged. There was a minor altercation between Congress and JDS workers in Channapatna town. CRPF personnel intervened and calmed them down.