Supporters of Sumalatha and Nikhil Kumaraswamy clash in Mandya

Lok Sabha 2019

A video shows police officials stepping in to break up the fight between the two groups.

TNM Staff

Fights broke out between supporters of the JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy and those of the independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya as the 14 constituencies of the state went to polls on Thursday. The election in Mandya is being watched closely with the poll battle taking place between two first-time runners, Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Sumalatha Ambareesh. A video shows Nikhil greeting the crowd from his car before the fight between the two groups broke out. A man begins shouting “Sumalatha akka jai,” after which he is beaten by a few other men. After this, more supporters of Sumalatha began shouting, "Sumalatha akka jai.” As the brawl continues, policemen step in to break up the fight. Mandya has been a hotbed of issues this election season. Nikhil, a third-generation politician, is the son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. Sumalatha Ambareesh is the wife of late actor-politician Ambareesh, who was a three-time MLA from the district with the Congress party. Following the Assembly elections held in May 2018, the JD(S) and Congress formed the government through an alliance. As a result of this, there were several speculations regarding to whom the coalition would be allocating the Mandya seat in the Lok Sabha elections. While many Congress party members came out in support of Sumalatha, the JD(S) opposed this. Ultimately, the seat was given to Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Sumalatha opted to stand as an independent candidate with the support of several Congress party members (who were not allowed to campaign for her) as well as actors Yash and Darshan. Polling began in the state at 7 am on Thursday and saw a voter turnout of 38.28 percent as of 2 pm. The lowest turnout of voters has been in Bengaluru Central with only 28.65 percent while Dakshina Kannada had the highest voter turnout rate at 48.84 percent.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2IGl8Ju
via IFTTT

Parts of Karnataka to see rainfall, voting may be affected

Weather

Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru rural and Kolar districts will see moderate to light showers.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

After a long, dry heat spell, parts of Karnataka witnessed rainfall on Wednesday evening. A recent notice issued by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Center (KSNDMC) has stated that the rainfall is expected on Thursday as well. As a result of trough and wind discontinuity, parts of south interior Karnataka will see light to moderate rain. The districts of Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru rural and Kolar along with the Western Ghats area of the Malnad districts are expected to see showers coming their way. The KSNDMC has also noted that heavy rains and thunderstorms are likely in those districts on Thursday afternoon and may result in voting being affected. After a long spell of heat, Bengaluru witnessed much-awaited showers in the first week of April. "These rains are because of thunderstorm activity. The rains generally do not sustain more than an hour or two. This is the first rain after a dry spell of about a month. This will bring much-needed relief to the city of Bengaluru which has been experiencing temperatures as high as 35 degree celsius. Parts of the city will receive as much as 20 mm of moderate rainfall," meteorologist Sunil Gavaskar from the KSNDMC stated to TNM, at the time. He further mentioned that if temperatures remained high, more short rain spells could be expected. The state is experiencing one of its hottest summer seasons, with temperatures up to 3 degrees more than is usually expected at this time of the year. Voting for the Lok Sabha elections began in the state at 7 am on Thursday morning. Polling is taking place in the central and southern regions of the state with Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC) are the constituencies going to polls on Thursday. As of Thursday at 1 pm, voter turnout in the state is at 36.51 percent.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2vc0sBn
via IFTTT

53-yr-old polling officer on duty dies from cardiac arrest in K’taka’s Chamarajanagar (85)

Lok Sabha 2019

Shanthamurthy was a lecturer at the Government Pre-University College in Hanur.

Theja Ram

A 53-year-old polling official, who was deployed for election duty in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar, died after suffering cardiac arrest on Thursday while on duty. The official, identified as Shanthamurthy, is a resident of Chamarajanagar’s Mahalingapura in Hanur.   Shanthamurthy was a lecturer at the Government Pre-University College in Hanur. According to Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner BB Kaveri, Shanthamurthy was deployed for election duty at booth number 48 as reserved staff. Around 9 am on Thursday, Shanthamurthy was walking out of the room at the polling booth when he suffered a cardiac arrest. “The security personnel immediately called an ambulance and he was rushed to the Chamarajanagar District Hospital. He was alive when he was taken to hospital but the doctors declared him dead. He did not respond to the treatment,” DC Kaveri added. Shanthamurthy is survived by his wife and two children.  DC Kaveri said that his family will be offered Rs 15 lakh as compensation. “The Election Commission has decided to give a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the family of officers who died while performing election duty. They will be rightly compensated. This is an extremely unfortunate incident. The polling was not disrupted and it is continuing smoothly,” she added. In Tamil Nadu’s Erode, 63-year-old resident Murugesan died while waiting in line to cast his vote. Murugesan was waiting in line at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School polling station in Sivagiri when he fainted. Voters nearby tried to help him and he was rushed to Sivagiri Government Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The cause of his death has been determined to be a cardiac arrest. His body is currently at the hospital. Voting began across 14 Parliamentary constituencies including Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar (SC), Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North,  Bengaluru  Central,  Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC) are the constituencies wherein polling is happening on Thursday.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2ZmLUMS
via IFTTT

Photos: In Karnataka, politicians and celebrities cast their votes

Lok Sabha 2019

From former cricketer Anil Kumble to veteran actor Raghavendra Rajkumar, Karnataka celebrities came out to vote on Thursday.

TNM Staff

In Karnataka, polling has begun in 14 constituencies in the second phase of the Lok Sabaha Elections 2019, and celebrities in politicians turned up to cast their votes.  The 2.67-crore strong electorate will decide the fates of 241 candidates in the central and southern regions of Karnataka. Polling is underway at the following constituencies: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Here are the celebrities and politicans who have voted so far: Former cricket Anil Kumble: Chief Minister HDK Kumaraswamy, Anitha Kumaraswamy and Nikhil Kumaraswamy: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Yathindra Siddaramaiah: Actor-politician Prakash Raj: Actor Kiccha Sudeep ಇಂದು ಜೆಪಿನಗರದ ಮತಗಟ್ಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮತದಾನ ಮಾಡಿದ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಿಚ್ಚ ಸುದೀಪ್ ಅಣ್ಣ@KicchaSudeep @iampriya06#Karnataka #Elections2019 #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/H2QFAKqPbt — TDKSFA_Official ® (@Tdksfa_Official) April 18, 2019 Union Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman: MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar and family: Veteran actor Raghavendra Rajkumar and his sons Guru and Vinay Rajkumar: Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar: Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, chairman and executive director of Narayana Health: Karnataka Deputy CM G Parameshwara with his family:  MP Nalin Kumar Kateel: Dakshina Kannada Congress candidate Mithun Rai:  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2XoDrqH
via IFTTT

K’taka IAS officer deputed as poll observer suspended for checking PM Modi’s copter

Lok Sabha 2019

Mohammed Mohsin was suspended with immediate effect for acting contrary to the instructions of the Commission concerning SPG protectees.

TNM Staff

The Election Commission on Wednesday suspended a General Observer belonging to Karnataka IAS cadre for allegedly checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter in Odisha's Sambalpur on Tuesday. Mohammed Mohsin was suspended with immediate effect for acting contrary to the instructions of the Commission concerning SPG protectees and will be posted at Sambalpur till further orders, a poll panel letter dated April 16 said. A Karnataka cadre officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Mohsin was deputed as a General Observer and working under the supervision of the poll panel in Odisha. "... the Commission has considered the material available before it and prima facie finds it dereliction of duty," said the letter. Sources told the Times of India that when PM Modi reached Sambalpur to address a rally on Tuesday, election officials inspected his convoy, which constituted a violation of protocol.  A senior police officer present at Sambalpur airstrip, speaking on condition of anonymity told ToI, "A team of poll officials led by Mohsin inspected some papers in the chopper carrying the PM. The inspection delayed his arrival at the meeting venue by around 20 minutes which was reported to the ECI." The Prime Minister had visited Odisha on Tuesday and addressed two rallies in Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar. Mohsin is presently secretary in the backward classes department. Karnataka Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar said he was not aware of the incident and said the state cannot intervene in the matter.  On whether the official is barred from carrying out his duties after the elections as a result of the order, Bhaskar said, "Only after we receive further directives from the commission we can consider the next step."  With IANS inputs

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2DkXTkP
via IFTTT

Live blog: TN, 14 seats in Karnataka vote in phase 2 of Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha 2019

The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and would conclude on May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.

TNM Staff

PTI

Polling is underway for all the constituencies in Tamil Nadu, except Vellore, and in 14 constituencies in Karnataka in the second phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Voting began on Thursday in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka’s central and southern regions amid tight security. "Voting began at 7 a.m. simultaneously in all the 30,164 booths across 14 parliamentary seats of the state under tight security," a poll official told IANS here.The constituencies where polling is underway are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Of the 2.67-crore electorate in the first phase, 1.35-crore male and 1.32-crore female voters will decide the fate of 241 candidates, including 15 women and 133 Independents in fray for the 14 seats. In Tamil Nadu, voting began at 7 am on Thursday in 38 Lok Sabha seats and 18 assembly constituencies where by-elections are being held. The Election Commission on Tuesday rescinded the poll for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency after the Income Tax (IT) department seized unaccounted cash from the cement warehouse allegedly belonging to a DMK functionary's relative.  About 5.8 crore voters will decide the fate of 822 candidates in the Lok Sabha polls. Polling also started in the lone Puducherry Lok Sabha seat and in the Thattanchavady assembly constituency for which by-election is being held. The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and would conclude on May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. Follow live updates here: Note: Please disable your ad blocker if the blog is not loading

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2Zf3anv
via IFTTT

Lok Sabha 2019: 14 constituencies in Karnataka including those in Bengaluru set to vote

Elections

Elections in the 14 Lok Sabha seats will be held between 7am to 6pm on Thursday, across 30,000-plus polling stations.

TNM Staff

Half of Karnataka, constituents of the 14 Parliamentary constituencies of south and central Karnataka will vote on Thursday to elect their representatives for the Lower House of Parliament in the second phase of polling on April 18. The remaining constituencies will vote on April 23. The seats that go for polls in this phase are Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagara, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapura and Kolar and will have a total of 242 candidates in the fray. Elections in the 14 Lok Sabha seats will be held between 7am to 6pm with a total of little over 2.67 crore voters across 30,000-plus polling stations. Out of the 14 seats, three seats — Kolar, Chamrajanagar and Chitradurga are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. Polling in the remaining 14 seats will be held in the west coast and northern regions of the state in the third phase on April 23. "Elaborate arrangements have been made across the state's central and southern regions for free and fair polling in 30,164 booths spread over 14 Parliamentary seats from 7am to 6pm. amid tight security,"  State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar told IANS. All these seats will see a straight fight between the BJP and the candidate of JD(S)-Congress alliance except in Mandya where BJP is backing actor Sumalatha, wife of actor-politician Ambareesh. Other than Sumalatha, other prominent independent candidates include multilingual actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj. The JD(S), the junior partner of the coalition has high stakes in the battle of the ballot as three members of the Gowda clan are in the fray. According to Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Neelamani Raju, Bengaluru Rural, Hassan, Mandya and Tumakuru are the vulnerable constituencies where additional police forces have been deployed for peaceful and smooth conduct of polling. 4,826 booths have been categorised sensitive. These booths will be manned with extra security personnel to prevent any form of violence. In addition to 49,476 police personnel, the Election Commission has roped in Civil Defence, jail wardens and five companies of Central Armed Police Force, along with platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons. "Of the total booths, 16% or 4,826 are considered critical in the four seats identified by the police. We are deploying about 91,000 police personnel on election duty in two phases on April 18 and April 23 to ensure peaceful polling and maintain law and order," Raju said in a statement. While on normal booths, one police constable and the head constable will be on duty, in critical booths, one head constable and the home guard will maintain security.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2Vd3TpQ
via IFTTT