Barring a few instances of missing names in voter list and one instance of scuffle between party workers in Gadag, the polling for the Assembly elections in the three districts of Dharwad, Gadag, and Haveri concluded peacefully on Wednesday.
As there were still many voters waiting to cast their votes in few polling stations at 6 p.m., the deadline for polling, the polling continued in such centres to allow all those who were at the polling station by 6 p.m. to cast their votes. Consequently it took time for the election staff to conclude the polling and report to the respective mustering centres with the sealed EVMs and VVPATs. The process went on till late in the night. The de-mustering process was carried out at Navalgund, Kundagol, Kalaghatagi, Hubballi, and Dharwad.
Consequently, officials were not able to give the exact percentage of polling in various constituencies immediately.
District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Gurudatta Hegde gave the polling percentage in seven assembly constituencies in Dharwad district as 73.19%
In a press release, he said that the polling concluded peacefully in the district at 6 p.m. and as there were still voters in Navalgund and Kundagol segments at 6 p.m., the polling was continued.
In the last election, the district had recorded a polling percentage of 70.70.
In Haveri
According to Deputy Commissioner of Haveri, an approximate average polling percentage of 81.17 was recorded in the six Assembly segments in the district. He said in a release that as the polling concluded peacefully without any glitches, there was no question of holding any repoll in any of the polling stations in the district.
Hirekerur recorded the highest polling of 84.89%, Byadgi 83.47%, Hanagal 83.17%, Ranebennur 80.04%, Shiggaon 79.06%, and Haveri 76.61%. The polling began on a slow note but picked up later.
In Gadag
According to Deputy Commissioner of Gadag Vaishali M.L., Gadag district recorded approximate polling of 75.21% in the four Assembly segments. Nargund recorded the highest polling of 79.44% followed by Ron with 75.56%, Gadag with 75.56%, and Shirahatti 70.79%. The final polling percentage is likely to change as polling continued beyond 6 p.m. at some polling stations because of the rains.
The polling in Gadag district was almost peaceful with one stray incident of scuffle between Congress and BJP workers at Binkadakatti village, resulting in the police using canes to disperse the crowd. Otherwise, the polling remained peaceful, the police said.
