BBMP Elections 2015 Highlights: Polling in Bengaluru ends with just 44% voter turnout

LIVE BLOG

• 22 Aug 2015, 07:14 PM

  Polling ends in Bengaluru with 44% voter turnout.

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 05:48 PM

  Thirty eight percent voter turn-out till 4.00 pm, reports The Hindu.

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 05:23 PM

  Voting comes to end for the BBMP elections. However, there has been poor show by Bangaloreans in exercising their vote. The election being held on a weekend and rainy weather have been said to have kept the voters away.

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 04:45 PM

  Voter turn-out just 24% till 3.00 pm, reports The Hindu. As per the report, elections officials have said that there is no interest among Bengaluru residents to vote.

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 02:57 PM

  PN Sreenivasachary, State Election Commissioner at 1.35 pm told The Hindu that only around 21.2% voters in the city had voted. He said that the voter turnout usually improves after 11 am but that wasn't the case this time. He said the poor turnout would probably have been because of the rains but urged everyone to come and vote after the rains had stopped.

  Meanwhile, iamin reports that only 1% polling took place in Uttarahalli ward of North Bengaluru. Most wards in the city have recorded only around 1--15% polling.

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 02:01 PM

  The Hindu reported that four people have been arrested for giving cash to voters from ward no.88 at Jeevanbhima Nagaar. 

  On the other hand, hundreds of packets of 'chitranna' and biryani were given out to residents of Nayandahalli on Mysore road. It is very common of all political parties to distribute food to make the voters happy and get them on their side. At the same time, the residents who are mostly daily wage workers were also asked not to report to work for the voting day and were promised to be paid the day's wage, the daily reported.   

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 01:29 PM

  HD Deve Gowda on Saturday morning staged a protest in front of Jeevan Bhima Nagar Police Station, in Bengaluru, demanding the police to release the supporters of Ayesha Begum, the JD(S) candidate from Jeevan Bhimanagar ward, iamin reported.

  Condemning the police harassment, Deve Gowda said the state government has been trying to scuttle the prospects of JD(S) candidates in the BBMP election on one pretext or the other. “The state government was not interested in conducting elections for the BBMP Council. I want the police to not harass the supporters of other political parties," Deve Gowda said.

  Read the full

  iamin

  story here.

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 12:34 PM

  Commissioner G Kumar Naik told The Hindu that the voter turnout had been lukewarm. He added that till 9 am the voter turnout had only been 5%.

  Meanwhile, at Vijina Pura ward voters were seen casting their vote in candlelight.

  Meanwhile,

  iamin 

  reports that BJP MLA and former minister Suresh Kumar cast his vote along with his family at a polling booth in St. Mira's School in Basaveshwaranagar in Rajajinagar Assembly segment. He also spoke to the media after. 

  #BBMPelections: BJP MLA and former minister Suresh Kumar casts his vote. http://t.co/TsDDvJq9p2 @DNA_IamIn pic.twitter.com/umCgFsIGSo

  — dna (@dna) August 22, 2015

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 11:42 AM

  A 22-year-old youth Fayaz was died on Saturday morning after a dry tree branch fell on him while he was going to cast his vote, Y Maheswara Reddy from I am in reports. 

  A youth, Fiaz dies after a tree branch fell on his head while he was on his way to cast vote for #BBMPelections in Shivajinagar.

  — ANI (@ANI_news) August 22, 2015

  The incident took place at BBMP Junior College compound in Shivajinagar where the youth had come to cast his vote. Local residents say that he had come to polling booth no.14 of ward no.92 to exercise his vote. As of now, his relatives are waiting at the Lady Curzon and Bowring Hospital for the post-mortem results.

  #BBMPelections:Youth killed on way to polling booth after tree branch fell on him. @DNA_IamIn http://t.co/TsDDvJq9p2 pic.twitter.com/GKiv5RuROR

  — dna (@dna) August 22, 2015

  Meanwhile, precautions are being taken to make sure another such incident doesn't occur. Assistant conservator of forest, BBMP EH Satyanarayana commented about the incident saying that no one had informed about him any dry branches.      

  #BBMPelections: After youth's death by tree branch, BBMP blamed for negligence. http://t.co/TsDDvJq9p2 @DNA_IamIn pic.twitter.com/9MHlyt9ed4

  — dna (@dna) August 22, 2015

  Read the full story on

  iamin.in

  . 

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 10:58 AM

  Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Saturday morning went on a protest alleging that the police had tried to harass JD(S) candidate Ayesha Begum and had even raided and detained three shops of JD(S) supporters, The Hindu reported.

  Further on the report said that Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwananth took objection to JD(S) workers campaigning near the polling booth leading to a verbal fight and scuffle between BJP workers and JD(S) workers. While the police got a hold of the situation, JD(S) candidate Hanumanthe Gowda alleged that Vishwanath was making false accusations.   

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 10:34 AM

  Although, many are complaining about lack of participation or voting at the BBMP election, polling booths are starting to see citizens walking in. 

  #BBMPelections : Polling at Chaitanya Tech School, Malleshpalya in CV Raman Nagar Assembly constituency @DNA_IamIn pic.twitter.com/4jtsTmizoM

  — dna (@dna) August 22, 2015

  Many people on Twitter are urging Bengaluru citizens to come out and vote.

  I have done my voting in #BBMPelections. Have you? Please go and vote for better Bangalore. pic.twitter.com/Da03npRxhN

  — Ganesh (@N1Ganesh) August 22, 2015

  Benglurians have u inked? Vote to restore the cleanliness n climate of our city #BBMPelections #PlantTrees #CleanCity

  — Shuthan H S (@shuthanhs) August 22, 2015

  #BBMPelections Vote For Change.... pic.twitter.com/oA6LE2Rgbm

  — Anuj Prajapati (@anujprajapati11) August 22, 2015

  Why I love Bengaluru: elections here are a battle between political parties and not a battle between religions or castes. #BBMPelections

  — Sudhanva (@SudhanvaSDS) August 22, 2015

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 10:43 AM

  This election a mobile app is being used to gather polling information

  , BBMP Commissioner Kumar Naik announced on Thursday. 

  Commissioner Naik said that the BBMP officials at polling booths can alert them in case of any issues with electronic voting machines or law and order. 

  Here are the helpine numbers:

  BBMP- Helpline Number: 080-22224748, 080-22221188
  State Election Commission – Helpline Number: 080-22374740

  
• 22 Aug 2015, 10:07 AM

  With the BBMP elections having kickstarted on Saturday morning. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu cast his vote.

  BBMP election: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu casts his vote #BBMPelections pic.twitter.com/RemSgqSuyF

  — ANI (@ANI_news) August 22, 2015

  Congress leader BK Hariprasad casted his vote as well.

  BBMP elections: Congress leader BK Hariprasad casts his vote. #BBMPelections pic.twitter.com/YUU6by5NHx

  — ANI (@ANI_news) August 22, 2015