Gram panchayat Vice-President's election: Not booth, but neta capturing!

Bengaluru: A Janata Dal (Secular) nominee contesting a gram panchayat vice-president's election was allegedly kidnapped while he was on his way to cast his vote at the gram panchayat office in Harohalli on Friday. The miscreants, who kidnapped the contestant along with three of his associates, did not harm them, but kept driving till afternoon to ensure that they did not vote in the election.

JD(S) nominee Mahadevaiah (50) and his three associates - Sridhar Murthy (50), Balaji (35) and Chelavaraju (42) - had just left the Hill View Resorts in Basavanapura in their car around 7.30 am. They had travelled about 50 metres from the resort when the miscreants in three cars blocked their way. The goons forced all the four to get into their cars and started driving.

They drove towards Ramanagara and then Bengaluru and back for over five hours, the police said. The kidnappers abandoned the four men near Banandur Cross in Bidadi around 12.30 pm, thinking that the election was over and the other party member had won. But the other JD(S) members too had not voted, forcing the returning officer to put off the election to November 18 for lack of quorum. This was despite 18 Congress members casting their votes, the police said.