Ktk prepares for second phase of assembly polls

In the first phase of elections on May 10, a 66 per cent voter turnout was registered in 89 of the total 224 assembly seats. The third and final phase would be on May 22.

Police have provided an additional layer of security in naxal infested districts of Udupi, Shimoga and Chikmagalur and issued shoot-at-sight orders to deal with outlaws if they attempt to disrupt the poll process in wake of their issuing poll boycott warnings.

Around 16,000 para military force personnel, including 500-strong Anti-Naxal Force, have been deployed in these parts, state ADGP Shankar Bidari said.

Similarly, strong vigil was on in the sensitive Bellary district, bordering Andhra Pradesh where giants from the mining industry are in fray.

The Election Commission continuing its efforts to ensure a free and fair election in Bellary, has deputed senior IAS officer Raymond Peter as special observer, who successfully checked malpractices in the 2006 by-election to Chamundeswari assembly constituency in Mysore.

Shikaripura constituency in Shimoga District will witness the crucial battle with the presence of two former chief ministers — Yeddyurappa and Samajwadi Party’s S Bangarappa, who have vowed to decimate each other.

Bangarappa has been put up as the combined candidate of Congress and JDS.

Both Yeddyurappa, bidding for a fifth victory from his home turf, and Bangarappa, an invincible in assembly elections having won seven times from his bastion Soraba and a four-time Lok Sabha member from Shimoga, have left no stone unturned.

As people keenly await the outcome of Shikaripura constituency, a similar curiosity has generated in the neighbouring segment, Soraba, where it is a ‘family war’ between Bangarappa’s sons — Kumar and Madhu.

Kumar, who has became an heir to his father’s constituency, is sweating it out for the fourth victory and to hand over a second successive drubbing to his brother Madhu since the 2004 election.

The Congress, which backed Bangarappa in Shikaripura by not contesting the seat, however, refused to canvass votes for him unlike in Soraba, where the party has thrown all its weight behind Kumar.

Elsewhere, it would certainly be an acid test to his popularity for former deputy chief minister M P Prakash, who crossed over to Congress from JDS and testing his fortunes from a new turf on a new symbol in Harappanahalli constituency in Davanagere district.

Soft spoken and a seasoned parliamentarian, Prakash is fighting mining giant and BJP MP G Karunakara Reddy.

Prakash had to go in search of a new constituency in another district after his Hadagali segment in Bellary became a reserved constituency.

It would be a litmus test for Congress as BJP has a strong hold in several pockets in the 10 districts. In 2004, BJP garnered 37 seats followed by Congress, 22 and JDS, 14.

Stepping up its campaign, the BJP has deployed most of its prominent leaders like party President Rajnath Singh, former deputy prime minister L K Advani, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, senior leader Sushma Swaraj, Bollywood star Hemamalini and others to enhance its previous election tally to realise its dream of installing the party government.

Congress, not to be left behind, has also mobilised all its resources to gain an upper hand. Party President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi canvassed for party nominees.

JDS supremo H D Devegowda and his son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy have also undertaken extensive campaign, but the party had been hit by desertions in its ranks by leaders like Prakash, Amaregowda Bayyapura and others.

JDS sufferred a major set back in Bellary, after former minister M Diwakar Babu, who joined its ranks from Congress in April, returned to his erstwhile party and has retired from the contest.

Other prominent leaders in fray are Shamanur Shivashanakarappa (Cong- Davanagere South), R V Deshpande (Cong-Haliyal), bidding for seventh successive win, Venkatesh Naik, Congress MP from Raichur, fighting his grandson Shivvannagouda Naik, Shakuntala Shetty, BJP rebel in Puttur, Mahima Patel, son of former chief minister late J H Patel testing his luck from his own party Suvarna Yuga in Chennagiri and K S Eshwarappa (BJP, Shimoga).

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati-led BSP is also in the fray in all the 66 constituencies, trying to expand its base in the state.

The districts which are going to polls are: Raichur, Koppal, Uttara Kannada, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Shimoga, Udupi, Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada.

Eight districts will face elections in the third and final phase on May 22.

The counting of votes for all the 224 constituencies will be taken up on May 25.