Voting is underway for the bypolls to Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Sira assembly seats in Bengaluru and Tumakuru amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to information received from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm in the two constituencies with a voting population of 6,78,012, including 3,26,114 women.
The counting of votes will take place on November 10.
The death of Sira MLA B Satyanarayana, who was from the JD(S), and resignation of RR Nagar Congress MLA Munirathna from the assembly last year led to the bypolls.
There are 1,008 polling stations, comprising 678 in RR Nagar and 330 in Sira, Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said in a statement.
According to sources, in view of the pandemic, thermal screening will be done and hand sanitisers have been available at the polling stations. Security has been beefed up around the polling stations.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has made separate arrangements for coronavirus-infected people to cast their votes in RR Nagar.
There are a total 31 candidates in the fray in the bypolls — 15 in Sira and 16 in RR Nagar, including those from the Congress, BJP and the JD(S).
In RR Nagar, the BJP has fielded former Congress MLA Munirathna as its candidate whereas the Congress has given ticket to H Kusuma, wife of former IAS officer late D K Ravi in the seat traditionally held by the party. The JD(S) has fielded V Krishnamurthy.
The RR Nagar constituency has become a prestigious issue for both the Congress and the BJP. The saffron party had earlier held this constituency which Munirathna had wrested as the Congress MLA.
This constituency is part of the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency which is represented by D K Suresh, who is the brother of Congress state chief D K Shivakumar.
In Sira, the BJP, Congress and JD(S) have fielded radiologist Dr Rakesh Gowda, former minister T B Jayachandra and former (JD-S) MLA B Satyanarayana”s wife Ammajamma respectively.
In the 224-seat assembly, BJP has 116 MLAs minus the speaker, Congress 67 and JD(S) 33, BSP one and there are two independents. There is also a nominated member.
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