Elections to the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) council on Thursday started off on a prosaic note in the morning, but picked up gradually towards afternoon.

The response of voters in the city appeared mixed with some wards witnessing brisk polling. The turnout for the MCC elections was 52 per cent.

A higher percentage was recorded from rural parts of Mysore. The polling was by and large peaceful.

Party workers were seen helping voters to look for their names in the list to identify the booths. The Urs Boarding School premises was crowded with around 7,000 voters from K.G. Koppal, Chamarajapuram, Saraswathipuram and surrounding areas coming to vote.

There was less activity at certain polling booths such as Jayanagar initially. There was good response at Jayalakshmipuram and Gokulam areas with voters queuing up in good numbers. The response at Manchegowdanakoppal in Hebbal was enthusiastic.

One common complaint that was heard from several wards in the city was the missing of names from the voters’ list.

Sunanda from Kumbarakoppal, said: “My name and that of my husband’s are missing. My children’s names are there. Thousands of names are missing from the list in Kumabarakoppal.”

Electronic voting machines reportedly developed snags at certain booths, including the one near Mysore Medical College. They were, however, set right quickly.

Mysore district in-charge Minister S.A. Ramdas, along with his mother, cast their votes at Vidyaranyapuram. H.S. Shankaralinge Gowdaand his wife, exercised franchise on Vijaya Vittala School premises in Saraswatipuram, while V. Srinivas Prasad, MLA, and family members cast votes at a booth in Jayalakshmipuram. Tanvir Sait, MLA, and wife exercise their franchise at D. Banumaiah Polytechnic at Udayagiri.

The district administration had made elaborate arrangements to ensure free and fair polling. Policemen were present at every booth. Police mobile squads and mounted police did the rounds to maintain law and order as there were reports of skirmishes between rival political party workers in a few wards in the morning.

Voter turnout

Chamarajanagar Correspondent reports: There was 78.25 per cent polling in elections for the ULBs in the district. Though voting began at a slow pace in the morning, it picked up later in the day. For the first time, electronic voting machines were used in ULB polls.

There was a record 85.16 per cent polling in Yelandur Town Panchayat, 71.60 per cent in Kollegal City Municipal Council, 78.69 per cent each in Gundlupet Town Municipal Council and 80.06 in Hanur Town Panchayat. Polling was 75.52 per cent in the elections to the Chamarajanagar City Municipal Council.

Of the 1,13,834 voters in the district, 56,630 were women and 57,204 men.

Peaceful in Mandya

Mandya Staff Correspondent reports:

An estimated 69.36 per cent of voters exercised their franchise on Thursday in the district. The percentage of polling for four urban local bodies in Ramanagaram was 75.95. Voting was brisk and peaceful across these two districts.

A record 82.55 per cent cast their votes for the K.R. Pet Town Municipal Corporation. The lowest polling was recorded for the Mandya City Municipal Council at 61.37 per cent turnout.

Turnout in Pandavapura was 76.27 per cent, Srirangapatna 79.96 per cent, Maddur 74.95 per cent, Nagamangala 77 per cent and Malavalli 73.05 per cent.

A record 85.22 per cent cast their votes for Magadi Town Panchayat elections.

A total of 69.40 per cent exercise their franchise for Ramanagaram City Municipal Council elections, 74.51 per cent for Channapatna CMC and 74.40 per cent for Kanakapura Town Panchayat elections.