<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>50% polling in Karnataka </b>
Pioneer News Service | Bangalore
Though <b>a majority of the middle-class voters, especially in Bangalore, stayed away, Karnataka witnessed 50 per cent polling</b> in a largely peaceful polling process in 89 Assembly constituencies spread across 11 districts in southern Karnataka.
While the initial estimate of polling percentage was around <b>50 per cent in Bangalore, the polling was over 70 per cent in Hassan district, the home district of the JD(S) President HD Deve Gowda. Among those whose fate would be sealed in the first phase involving 42 per cent of the electorate (1.72-crore voters), include former Chief Minister and the JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy from Ramanagaram, and Congress leader Siddaramaiah in Mysore</b>.
In far away Hubli in the northern Karnataka, where the polling is due on May 22, a low-intensity improvised explosive device exploded in the premises of a court, damaging the furniture. No one was hurt. The explosion occurred beneath the witness box in the court hall where SIMI terror suspects are being tried.
One of the causes being attributed for low polling was the strict vigilance kept by the Election Commission on the election process. This not only prevented the candidates from indulging in lavish campaigning, but also dissuaded parties from transporting voters to the polling station. The Commission also ensured there was least rigging this time. <b>However, reports said there was unprecedented bribing of voters by political parties on the eve of polling with cash being distributed in many parts of Bangalore</b>. Interestingly, a number of realtors are in the fray from all the major parties.
<b>According to pollsters, low percentage of polling normally benefits the Congress which has a committed vote bank. Parties like the BJP benefit only when the voting percentage is high because the educated voters turn up in large numbers</b>.
Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said Bangalore was very important for winning the elections. "If you win Bangalore, your victory is assured. And now with the number of seats going up in Bangalore, we are confident of doing well in the city."
JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy, who cast his vote accompanied by his wife Anitha in Ramanagaram, told reporters on the prospects of his party: "I am not going to be the kingmaker, but the king." There were several cases of voters in Bangalore not finding their names in the voters' list. Electronic voting machines also failed in the Krishnaraja constituency in Mysore.
According to reports, police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse a group of persons who were trying to cast bogus votes at Chickpet in Bangalore. Around 58,000 security personnel were deployed to ensure peaceful polling
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Ravi Shankar Prasad said on NDTV that in the 89 seats that went to poll in phase 1, BJP had won only 10 in 2004. So, 31 is a huge improvement.
That means in 2004 election, BJP had won 69 out of the remaining 135 seats. That is 51.11% of seats.
Now if BJP wins 60% of the remaining seats, it will win 81 seats. Total would be 31+ 81 = 112. That is the halfway mark. So, BJP has good chances of winning majority on its own.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Cash upsets caste in poll </b>
Pioneer.com
Kumar Uttam | Mangalore
Candidates paying voters directly
More than a thousand kilometres away from this election-bound State of Karnataka, when bigwigs of political parties finalised the names of their candidates in New Delhi, they took care of all minute details of caste combinations.
But things here at ground zero have gone totally different from what they had expected and planned.<b> "Cash" has disturbed all "caste combinations</b>" in the State Assembly election that has almost been censored by the Election Commission of India.
The unwritten "ban" on almost every overground way of electioneering has left political parties here with no other option but to reach out to the voters individually and dole out "whatever" they could to woo the electorate.
It was after more than 600 km drive from Bangalore, climbing up to Hassan and Chikmagalur to drive down the costal cities of Udupi and Mangalore, that this correspondent encountered a public meeting of a regional party at minority-dominated Mani village on the outskirts of Manglore city.
After an exhausting drive, the first sight of an election campaign was so tempting that we could not resist stopping the car and interacting with the men in white kutra-pyjamas. Knowing my limitations with Kannada, my driver Anand, a local resident, chipped in.
<b>"They (workers of this regional party) threw a dinner for us last night. Many 'other things' were also served and a lucky few got a few hundred rupees as well.</b> They wanted us to come for the meeting and we did. There is no harm," confided one of the persons in the gathering.
The revelation was not astonishing. A poll manager in the Congress office at BC Road, another hamlet on the outskirts of Mangalore, admitted the cost of election had increased manifold as there was no other option but to reach out to individuals or group of voters seeking their votes. "Our campaign starts in the evening. Throughout the day we just sit idle, without much work," he admitted.
A senior BJP leader told The Pioneer over phone from Hubli, where the party has shifted its base for the second round of election on May 16, that the money being spent on one Assembly segment this time was in no way less than what they used to spend on a parliamentary constituency in earlier elections.
<b>Meanwhile, the scene in the constituencies going to poll in the second phase on May 16 is no different from the first phase. No posters and banner defacing the walls, no blazing loudspeaker to pierce the ears of the voters and no rallies to catch the attention of the voters -- it is almost "curfew" like situation in Karnataka in the "festival of democracy". </b>
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<!--QuoteBegin-kharavela+May 11 2008, 06:44 AM-->QUOTE(kharavela @ May 11 2008, 06:44 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Ravi Shankar Prasad said on NDTV that in the 89 seats that went to poll in phase 1, BJP had won only 10 in 2004. So, 31 is a huge improvement.
That means in 2004 election, BJP had won 69 out of the remaining 135 seats. That is 51.11% of seats.
Now if BJP wins 60% of the remaining seats, it will win 81 seats. Total would be 31+ 81 = 112. That is the halfway mark. So, BJP has good chances of winning majority on its own.
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Any idea why NDTV came out with this exit poll results?
Two possibilities are:
1. In Gujarat, they played anti-BJP psephology and it fell flat on their face. Are they now experimenting with a strong pro-BJP numbers so that border line voters who are likely to vote for BJP don't feel compelled to vote this time?
2. After losing their credibility in Gujarat, they are coming up with correct results in Karnataka. Once credibility is regained, use that in full force to influence the outcome of next parliament election.
Whatever it is, I don't believe that NDTV is just trying to be honest about the exit polls.
NDTV will never favor BJP. We have to wait for actual result and can establish trend.
I have done same on US primary. GAllup, Zogby, Rasmussen are pretty bad and biased.
In India, IBN, NDTV, Yadav inc are pretty bad, highly influenced by ruling government.
Pollsters are being used to manufacture poll outcomes that is why there is so much disparity in their predictions and outcomes. Same in US and India.
Karnataka Phase II: 9 pc polling so far | Action-packed day
1.1 crore people are voting in 12,271 booths in Phase 2.
NDTV exit poll: BJP maintains lead in phase 2
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Bharatiya Janata Party has maintained its lead in Karnataka by gaining in phase two of the election also, as per the NDTV exit poll.
The saffron party is slated to get somewhere between 32 to 42 seats with a swing of three per cent in its favour.
However, the poll suggests that rival Congress will get 15 to 20 seats, thereby, getting a negative swing of one per cent.
The Janata Dal - Secular is facing a negative swing of two per cent and is slated to clinch somewhere between eight to 12 seats whereas, others are expected get two to four seats.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>BJP's southern Hindutva at work </b>
ndtv.com
Sunil Prabhu
Friday, May 16, 2008 (Mangalore)
Karnataka saw the second phase of polling on Friday, and 60 per cent of the people turned up to vote for a stable government in the state.
<b>However, will the BJP's strategy of Hindutva work in coastal Karnataka? They've been building temples to work their way into the power.</b>
Coastal Karnataka is popularly known as the laboratory for the growth of Hindutva in south India. The BJP has been able to make significant in roads in this region, which was once a Congress bastion.
<b>The strategy is simple, work with the people for building temples and do not be mistaken by the Ram temple in Ayodhya but by rebuilding and renovating old ancient temples in the region</b>.
Nagaraj Shetty is a former minister in the BJP-JDS government who was responsible for temple renovation in Karnataka.
He is nicknamed the Narendra Modi of Mangalore and has been accused of inciting communal riots in the coastal region. And there's no stopping the BJP strongman. Nagaraj Shetty avoids visiting a mosque and is quite open in his attempt to use the temple movement.
''We started tempting the people, we go to them as government minister or government representative, we go to the village and tell them we are with you start working, <b>renovate this temple 800 or 1000 years old,'' </b>said Nagaraj Shetty, BJP candidate.
<b>And it's with this over 2,000 temple network in south Kanara, the BJP along with the help of the Sangh Parivar has been able to make significant inroads. The campaign style is simple, no elaborate public meetings, but temple workers perform pujas and a lunch for the friendly neighbourhood with a chance to meet their candidate.
''The important thing is we have gone deep into the villages and attracted all the segments, even the lowest strata of the society, the kodagu community,'' </b>said V S Acharaya, BJP leader.
This has paid dividend in the last elections, the Congress was decimated in the coastal region which has 15 seats. Years of neglect and factionalism by senior Congress leaders have only helped the BJP better its chances.
<b>The Congress is now working hard in telling this backward caste dominated region that they are being misled.</b>
''For a short time they can fool the people, they understand and realise particularly the minority community is condemned like anything,'' said Janardhan Poojary, Congress leader.
It's with these temple renovation projects that the BJP has been able to work with local communities to make significant inroads into what was once a Congress citadel
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Congress and Commies are getting lot of ulcers/heartburn and trying to incite problem between communities.
Looks like my hard earn money did some good in Temple renovation project. <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Karnataka Polls Phase 2 - Predictions</b> Summary of Predictions-Phase 2: 66 seats
BJP assured-24
Congress assured-8
JD(S) assured-0
Unpredictable (seats with no trend, flip flopping or no incumbents)-16
Tossup (seats fought on close margins either between two parties or 3 way contests on close margins) - 11
Unknown seats (Of all the new constituencies carved out, some of the seats could not be analysed) â 7
So of the 155 seats which have had elections so far in phases 1 and 2, the BJP has 44 assured seats, the congress 26, the JD(S) 13, 30 are Unpredictable, 23 are tossups, among the new seats created 16 of them are anybodyâs guess and 3 seats are between BSP, KCVP and RPI.
[QUOTE]
Most nervous times of Indian politics. If BJP breaks the barrier and forms first govt in its southern soujourn, the political map of India is going to change forever. For the ardent BJP supporters in US the memorial day weekend may be a joyous one if the things go as predicted.
Dakshina Kannada records 72 per cent polling
Staff Correspondent
One EVM fails in Illanthila; impersonator arrested
Polling in the 1,321 booths was incident-free, say officials
Belthangady, Puttur register the highest of
80 per cent voting
â Photo: Jaideep Shenoy
VIGILANT: A Border Security Force personnel guarding the booth at Kulshekar in Mangalore on Friday.
MANGALORE: Dakshina Kannada district lived up to its reputation of registering a high voter turnout in the elections held in eight Assembly constituencies on Friday. The district administration said the entire polling process was incident-free and an estimated 72 per cent of the 13.33-lakh voters exercised their franchise. There was one case each of impersonation and an electronic voting machine (EVM) failing reported from the district.
Sources in the district administration told The Hindu here that one EVM failed in booth number 159 at Illanthila village in Belthangady constituency. âWe had 1,321 polling booths in the district and as many EVMs were used,â sources said. The data in the EVM at Illanthila was not retrievable and the administration would send a report to the Election Commission, the sources said.
Asked if this could result in a re-poll being ordered in this particular booth, the sources said the Election Commission would decide on it. Around 350 votes had been cast in that booth before the machine failed. The election process continued with the help of a stand-by EVM. However, with the main machine failing, re-polling might become inevitable, the sources said.
Long queues
The peopleâs enthusiasm to vote was evident by the long queues seen across the district. Presiding officers in many booths had to wait till people who were in the queue at 5 p.m. voted. The minimum voting percentage in most constituencies, according to official sources, was above 60 per cent, with reports of it reaching a high of around 80 per cent in Bantwal and Puttur constituencies.
Impersonation
The presiding officer of booth number 74 at Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Urdu School at Kudroli, N.S. Govind Bhat, noticed a person who had come to impersonate a voter. The accused has been identified as Shailesh, resident of Uliya in Ullal, who attempted to impersonate Sujith by using a ration card that he had brought along. A case has been registered at the Mangalore North police station.
Jaipur blasts echo in third phase
Karnataka Bureau
Sonia Gandhi, L.K. Advani, Mayawati and Narendra Modi hit the campaign trail
http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/18/stories/...660400.htm
POLL CANVAS: (Clockwise from top left) Congress president Sonia Gandhi tries to reach out to audience in Hubli on Saturday; Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati seeks votes for the BSP in Belgaum. L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, campaigns for the BJP in Bidar; and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi appears at his usual best in Belgaum.
POLL CANVAS: (Clockwise from top left) Congress president Sonia Gandhi tries to reach out to audience in Hubli on Saturday; Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati seeks votes for the BSP in Belgaum. L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, campaigns for the BJP in Bidar; and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi appears at his usual best in Belgaum.
POLL CANVAS: (Clockwise from top left) Congress president Sonia Gandhi tries to reach out to audience in Hubli on Saturday; Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati seeks votes for the BSP in Belgaum. L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, campaigns for the BJP in Bidar; and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi appears at his usual best in Belgaum.
POLL CANVAS: (Clockwise from top left) Congress president Sonia Gandhi tries to reach out to audience in Hubli on Saturday; Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati seeks votes for the BSP in Belgaum. L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, campaigns for the BJP in Bidar; and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi appears at his usual best in Belgaum.
BANGALORE: Terrorism, use of money power, regional imbalances and stability formed the main issues on which some of the major parties â the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party â sought votes in the third phase of the Assembly elections in the State. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati were the star campaigners in the State on Saturday.
United fight
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi underscored the need for a united fight against terror and its perpetrators.
Ms. Gandhi was addressing an election rally at the Nehru Stadium in Hubli on Saturday.
Referring to the Jaipur blasts, she said: âTerrorism has no caste or religion. The country is united on this issue. We will fight it (terrorism) together.â
About the Rs. 60,000-crore loan waiver scheme for farmers, the Congress president sought to know what the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had been speaking of farmers of late, had done for farmers. Ms. Gandhi, who began her speech with a greeting in Kannada, touched upon welfare schemes for dalits, backward classes, farmers and Muslims implemented by the UPA Government.
She referred to several issues concerning the region, including drinking water problem, the Hubli-Ankola railway line, said the Congress would chalk out programmes in this regard.
The former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, the former minister H.K. Patil, Union Minister of State for Planning M.V. Rajashekharan, MLCs Viranna Mattikatti and A.M. Hindasageri spoke.
Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa, AICC general secretary Prithviraj Chauhan, Congress candidates for various constituencies in the district Jabbarkhan Honnalli, Shankranna Munavalli, F.H. Jakkappanavar, Vinay Kulkarni, and K.N. Gaddi were present.
BJP slammed
Addressing a public meeting in Gulbarga on Saturday, Ms. Sonia Gandhi accused the BJP of indulging in divisive politics and politicising the issue of terrorism.
Seeking votes for the party candidates in 13 Assembly constituencies in Gulbarga district, Ms. Gandhi said the menace of terrorism was not a problem of a single political party. Gulbarga MP Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi welcomed the gathering. KPCC president Mallikarjun Kharge and the former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh spoke.
âNo captainâ
The former Deputy Prime Minister and BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani on Saturday criticised the Congress for not announcing the name of Chief Ministerial candidate for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the State.
Mr. Advani, addressing gathering in Bidar as part of the BJP campaign for the forthcoming Assembly election, asked: âHow can a team win without having a captain?â
He said people should know the Chief Ministerial candidate before the elections and âit is not right to chose a candidate after the electionsâ. Comparing the previous coalition arrangement in the State to 20-20 cricket, Mr. Advani said the non-transfer of power to B.S. Yeddyurappa and the BJP was nothing but âbetrayalâ of the people. He criticised the Congress for not executing the Supreme Court order upholding âdeathâ sentence to Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru.
On the price rise, Mr. Advani said: âBoth the common man and the nationâs economy are hit by the price rise.â
BJP State unit president D.V. Sadananda Gowda spoke.
Mr. Advani introduced Raghunhathrao Malkapure, BJP nominee in Bidar Assembly Constituency and Sanjay Kheny, the party nominee for Bidar South seat.
âDonât sell your voteâ
âSelling a vote for money or liquor amounts to selling of sisters and daughters.â This was the line adopted by Bahujan Samaj Party national president and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati at an election meeting in Belgaum on Saturday. She said the rival parties had unleashed ill-gotten money and liquor to buy votes. Falling prey to such corrupt practice meant selling of daughters and sisters, and remain deceived for five years. She reminded the voters B.R. Ambedkar, father of the Constitution, had struggled to ensure right to vote for Dalits.
Making it clear that the BSP was not against any caste or religion, Ms. Mayawati said her party strongly advocated provision of reservation for the poor among upper castes. BSPâs national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Satish Chandra Mishra, BSPâs general secretary in-charge of South India P.G.R. Sindhia, and another national general secretary in charge of Karnataka Veer Singh spoke. None of the speakers had enough time to introduce all the 18 candidates of the party in the district who were made to sit on a separate stage in front of the main dais.
Terror network
BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the UPA Government could not fight terrorism.
Mr. Modi, who addressed an election meeting in Belgaum, criticised the UPA Government for repealing the POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act).
Terrorism had spread to new regions, including Karnataka. The recent explosion in Court Hall in Hubli stood in evidence to the fact that terrorists were gaining a foothold in the south. In fact, Karnataka should have been number one State in the country owing to tremendous growth potential, infrastructure and other trained human resource. However, its growth was impaired on account of political instability âA fractured mandate leads to instability,â he said.
BJP candidates Abhay Kumar Patil, Shankargouda Patil and Sanjay Patil, who are contesting from Belgaum North, Belgaum South and Belgaum Rural respectively, the former minister D.H. Shankaramurthy and Belgaum MP Suresh C. Angadi were present.
(Inputs from Girish Pattanshetty, T.V. Sivanandan, M.B. Girish and Vijaykumar Patil)
HYDERABAD: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha L.K. Advani has said that the contrast between the manner in which the previous Atal Bihari Vajpayeeâs government functioned for six years and the one in which Manmohan Singhâs government has been functioning for four years will be an issue in the next general elections.
Mr. Advani, however, did not foresee the scope for early elections to the Lok Sabha claiming that the âpossibility has vanishedâ after the trends in Karnataka elections favoured the BJP.
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Parties woo âvillage of dacoitsâ
Yogesh Joshi, Hindustan Times
Muttyanatti, May 18, 2008
First Published: 23:28 IST(18/5/2008)
There is no need for political analysts to tell us that the Assembly election in Karnataka is going to be a close contest. The efforts of the three main contenders â the Congress, the BJP and the Janata Dal (S) â to reach out to every distant part of the state, make it obvious.
Muttyanatti is one such village in north Karnatakaâs Belgaum district. Tagged as a village of dacoits, its population of 2,000 has largely been off the political radar. But with the village going to polls on May 22, roads that are usually deserted after dark are now buzzing with activity. And residents have been showered with promises the likes of which they have never heard before.
Till a few years ago, over 50 per cent of the male villagers, who mostly belong to a schedule tribe called Bedar, had cases of dacoity, robbery and theft pending against them. "Many of the Muttyanatti villagers have been to jail, and cases are on against others. A few are absconding too," circle sub-inspector Amarnath Reddy said.
But the scenario has begun to change, thanks to the police. With a new officer, Basavraj N Bavlatti, taking the charge of Kakti police station, many villagers, the police say, have abstained serious crimes. "These villagers needed to be included into the mainstream so that they can live normal life," said an activist-advocate and political worker NR Latur.
Despite the villageâs dubious record, political parties are aware that even the couple of thousand voters from Muttyanatti cannot be ignored in the polls. "We want them to be fully transformed. We plan to provide them the employment, which the village needs the most," said Shankargouda Patil, BJP candidate from north Belgaum constituency.
Every evening, the dusty lanes of Muttyanatti see political party workers and their leaders coming in and addressing small meetings and showering them with promises. "We have never seen political leaders in such big numbers in our village. We are amused to see leaders joining their hands before us," said villager Sadagouda Basavi.
<b>69 constituencies at stake in last phase of Kâtaka </b>polls<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Bangalore, May 21: Sixty nine assembly constituencies spread across eight districts will go to polls on Thursday in the third and final phase of voting in Karnataka Assembly elections.
Thursdayâs process brings the curtains down on voting in all 224 assembly segments across the state. The first phase of polling was held in 89 constituencies on May 10 and in 66 segments in the second phase on May 16.
In the third phase, an estimated 1.17 crore electorate is expected to decide the poll prospects of 699 candidates.
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Who are favored in this phase?
<b>India Liquor Tainted With Chemicals Kills 156 in Five Days</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Police arrested 1,500 people and seized tainted liquor worth $1.8 million since elections were announced in Karnataka state last month in a drive to curb its distribution, Kumar said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>61% turnout in third phase of Karnataka polls </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The voters sealed the fortunes of 699 candidates including, former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh and KPCC President M Mallikarjun Khargin under the watchful eyes of 58,000 security personnel.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Congress ahead, but the key lies with JD(S) - According Yadav team of IBN
When counting will start?
The comic pollster or you may call him spurious pollster Yadav has made the following prediction
Congress : 86
BJP : 79
JDS : 45
And cunning Yadav has hinted that his vote forecast is correct but seat forecast may go wrong!
I feel on Sunday, Yogendra Yadav is going to eat humble pie
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