Bengaluru, May 6: Elections to 5,844 gram panchayats in Karnataka will be held in two phases on May 29 and June 2. For the first time, voting has been made mandatory in these elections. Another unique feature is that more than 50 per cent candidates will be women.
Sreenivasachari said that 2.81 crore people will cast their votes at 38,604 polling stations across the state. There will be 1.93 lakh polling officials. The cost of conducting the elections will be around Rs 66 crore.
Sreenivasachari said, “We have issued a circular to the deputy commissioners to ensure compulsory voting. We shall send another reminder.” There will be no ‘None Of The Above’ (NOTA) option for voters, while the candidates will have no expenditure limitations, he explained.
He said the model code of conduct will come into force from 8 am on May 10 and end on June 7.
The code will be applicable only in gram, taluk and zila panchayat limits across the state.
The code will not be in place in Urban Local?Bodies?(ULBs), including in the State capital—Bengaluru City.
Elections will be held on a non-party basis and a total of 94,458 GP members will be elected by an electorate of 2.81 crore during the two phases of polling. Fifty per cent of the seats are reserved for women.
Polling will not be held in 229 GPs as their tenure will end after August 2015, said Srinivasachari.
During the first phase, on May 29, polling will be held in 15 districts—Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya,?Chamarajnagara,?Udupi, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Haveri, Bagalkote, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Gadag.
During the second phase, on June 2, polling will be held in the remaining 15 districts—Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Bidar, Ballari, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur and Koppala.
For the first time, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used in GPs falling under the jurisdiction of Bidar district.
As many 9.5 lakh voters across 1,150 polling stations in the district can exercise the franchise through EVMs. Ballot papers will be used in all the other districts.
As many as 1.93 lakh polling officials will be involved in the electoral process, and the total cost to the exchequer will be Rs 66 crore.
Srinivasachari said deputy commissioners will launch campaigns across the state to convey that voting is compulsory in the panchayat polls.
While GP elections are not fought on party symbols, the polls are crucial for all political parties as they become the foundation for fighting the taluk and zilla panchayat elections, which will be held next year.
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