Early Rush, Steady Turnout Define Peaceful Bagalkot By-Election

Bagalkot: Voting for the Bagalkot Assembly bypoll was held peacefully on Thursday, recording an overall voter turnout of around 68.65 per cent.

Polling began on a brisk note, with steady turnout seen at several booths from the early hours. Voters, both young and elderly, turned up in good numbers, many preferring to cast their votes in the morning to avoid the scorching afternoon heat. Senior citizens and specially abled voters were also seen participating actively across the constituency.

In villages such as Shirur, Kamatagi, Aminagad, Basarikatti, Benakatti, Rampur and Timmapur, women voters outnumbered men at several booths during the morning hours, with queues of women waiting to exercise their franchise.

Polling gathered momentum through the day, with turnout recorded at 11.87 per cent between 7 am and 9 am. This rose to 27.82 per cent by 11 am, 43.75 percent by 1 pm, 54.82 per cent by 3 pm, and 65.59 per cent by 5 pm, according to official reports. As per the Election Commission website, the final turnout stood at around 68.65 per cent.

Congress candidate Umesh Meti and BJP candidate Veeranna Charantimath were among the early voters. Meti cast his vote at Booth No. 39 in his hometown Timmapur, while Charantimath exercised his franchise at Booth No. 166 at the Model Higher Primary School.

Before casting his vote, Meti visited the samadhi of his father, former MLA HY Meti, along with his supporters and offered prayers.

Speaking to reporters, Meti expressed confidence of a Congress victory, claiming a lead of 15,000 to 20,000 votes and stating that the party was receiving strong support in both rural and urban areas. He said voters would back the party based on the government’s programmes.

Charantimath, who visited several polling booths during the day, said voters were turning out with enthusiasm and urged them to participate in large numbers. Emphasising that every vote is valuable, he said higher turnout would improve the BJP’s chances of securing a bigger margin.

“I was told that mobile phones were not being allowed inside polling stations. Some voters keep their ID proof on their phones. I have instructed officials to allow voters to carry their phones up to the polling officials, deposit them there, and collect them while leaving,” he added.

First-time voter Sunita expressed happiness after casting her vote, saying she felt proud to be part of the democratic process.

District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Sangappa visited polling stations numbered 221 to 224 at the R&R office, as well as the Pink and Youth polling booths at Ambedkar Bhavan, to review arrangements and the voting process.

Zilla Panchayat CEO Shashidhar Kurera visited polling stations at PM Shri Government Model Primary School No. 7 in Navanagar, the Pink booth at Bhagavati village, and other locations to oversee polling.

Kurera, who is also the chairman of the District SVEEP committee, later cast his vote along with his wife Suchita at Dr BR Ambedkar Bhavan in Navanagar, standing in the queue like other voters. He also visited a Sakhi polling booth and posed at the selfie corner.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Ashok Teli also cast his vote along with his family at another polling booth set up at Ambedkar Bhavan.