Bengaluru: There was 55% polling till 5pm on Monday at Jayanagar assembly constituency in Bengaluru, considered a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bastion, according to data provided by the state election authorities. This included total 56,865 male voters and 54,824 female voters taking the total votes to 111,689, according to the chief electoral officer of Karnataka. Polling in Jayanagar, scheduled to be held along with other constituencies in the rest of the state on 12 May, was countermanded because of the death of BJP candidate B.N. Vijaykumar while on the campaign trail. Vijaykumar, the sitting legislator, had held the seat for two consecutive terms. The other candidates in the constituency include Soumya Reddy of the Congress, daughter of senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy, and Kalegowda of the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S). However, the JD(S) pulled out its candidate and decided to support the Soumya Reddy as the two parties have a coalition government in the state. The BJP and Congress are fighting hard to get hold of this constituency as it would add to its numbers in the assembly. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats, while the Congress got 78 and the JD(S)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) combine got 38 seats. The Congress later successfully bagged the Rajarajeshwari Nagar election with its candidate Munirathna beating the BJP candidate and taking the Congress tally to 79. The BJP unsuccessfully tried to get the support of at least eight other legislators to take it over the halfway mark. However, JD(S) and Congress got the required numbers and have formed the government under the leadership of H.D. Kumaraswamy. The BJP, despite failing to forming the government in Karnataka, continues to pursue power in the state as it would be closer to achieving its ‘Congress mukt Bharat’ agenda as well as help the national party enter Tamil Nadu and Kerala where it has little or no presence at all. The Congress on the other hand is looking to retain Karnataka, one of the last few that it still controls ahead of the 2019 election. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.<doc-sep>By Express News Service BENGALURU:As many as 2.03 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Jayanagar constituency which goes to the polls on Monday. Jayanagar is one of the two constituencies in the State where polling was deferred by the Election Commission. The EC had countermanded the polls in the constituency following the demise of BJP candidate B N Vijayakumar. Polling percentage in the constituency is expected to be below the State average of 72 per cent recorded on May 12 - when 222 constituencies had gone for polls. Rajarajeshwari Nagar - the other constituency where elections were held recently on May 28, had recorded 54 per cent voting. The constituency is witnessing a straight contest between BJP and Congress candidates - B N Prahlad and Sowmya Reddy respectively - with an outside chance for independent candidate Ravikrishna Reddy. JD(S), in the run up to the elections, had withdrawn its candidate Kalegowda and decided to back the Congress candidate on June 6. Following the demise of Vijayakumar, dissent surfaced among BJP corporators of the constituency over the selection of candidate. While few of the corporators were aspirants for the ticket, BJP decided to field Prahlad, brother of Vijayakumar following a social media campaign to nominate one the family members of the deceased as the candidate. Both Prahlad and Sowmya Reddy will contest elections for the first time in Jayanagar, where BJP has won since 2008. Social activist Ravikrishna Reddy is being considered as a dark horse. Counting on June 13 Polling will be held between 7 am and 6 pm on Monday and 19 candidates are in the fray. There will be a total of 216 polling stations, of which five are Pink booths - where only women polling personnel will be deployed. Web-casting will be done from 50 stations and 60 micro-observers are deployed to cover critical polling stations and cluster booths.Counting will be on June 13 from 8 am at SSMRV College. BJP dominance in jayanagar The constituency consists of seven wards - Pattabhinagar, Byrasandra, Jayanagar East, Gurappana Palya, J P Nagar, Sarakki and Shakambari Nagar. While six of the wards have BJP corporators, one ward has a Congress corporator. The constituency has Brahmins, Reddy Vokkaligas and Muslims in sizable numbers. While other communities are distributed in the six wards of the constituency, Gurappana Palya has a large number of Muslim voters. 2 EVMs in each booth Each polling booth to have two voting machines - one with names of 15 candi dates and the other with 4. 5 Pink polling stations Model polling station - Booth no. 169 - Indira Priyadarshini Girls High School, 9th Cross, 3rd Phase, JP Nagar Prohibitory orders in place Prohibitory orders will be in effect from 6am till 6 pm on Tuesday and from 6am till midnight on Wednesday, while ban on sale of liquor will be in effect till Monday midnight and 6am to midnight on Wednesday.<doc-sep>By IANS BENGALURU: Voting began in Bengaluru south's Jayanagar Assembly constituency on Monday amid tight security, an election official said. "Voting began at 7 a.m. across the 216 polling booths," he added. Polling in the seat was countermanded following the death of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) contestant B N Vijaya Kumar on May 4. The BJP nominated Kumar's younger brother B N Prahlad as its candidate. ALSO READ | Karnataka: BJP, Congress in straight contest as Jayanagar goes to polls today Withdrawal of Janata Dal-Secular's (JD-S) contestant Kalegowda from the fray on June 5 in support of the Congress nominee Sowmya Reddy, has made the electoral battle a straight contest between the two national parties. In all, 19 candidates, including nine Independents are in the fray. The other woman candidate in the contest is Nayeema Khanum of the Praja Raita Raajya Paksha. ALSO READ | Dissent in BJP gives Congress edge in Karnataka's Jayanagar constituency Polling will continue till 6 p.m. A total of 3,12,252 registered voters will exercise their franchise. The votes will be counted on Wednesday.<doc-sep>
Image Source : ANI Jayanagar Assembly bypoll in Karnataka LIVE: Congress seeks to topple BJP in stronghold; voting underway Jayanagar Assembly bypoll in Karanataka: Voting for Jayanagara Assembly Constituency in Karnataka's Bengaluru, where election was countermanded after the death of BJP candidate BN Vijayakumar, took place on Monday. About 55 per cent polling was recorded in Jayanagar Assembly segment, poll officials said. The Assembly seat is witnessing a direct contest between BJP and Congress after JD(S) pulled out its candidate. Over two lakh voters are expected to cast their votes in about 216 polling booths in the Jayanagar constituency today, where about 19 candidates are in the fray. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded deceased BN Vijayakumar's brother BN Prahalad, while Congress is banking on former state home minister Ramalinga Reddy's daughter Sowmya Reddy. The election is crucial for both BJP and Congress as both the parties will seek to strengthen their sensitive numbers in the Karnataka Assembly. The voters had returned a hung assembly in the Karnataka Elections 2018 held on May 12. While BJP emerged as single largest party with 104 seats, it fell short of the half-way mark of 112 in 224-seats Assembly. After a week-long political turmoil, a coalition government on Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) and Congress party successfully formed the government in Karnataka. Congress brings 78 seats to the coalition, while JD(S) brings 36. BJP will aim to sweep the by-election to strengthen its numbers in Assembly and save the traditional stronghold. Congress will seek increase its strength and undermine any chances BJP might have to gain numbers in the Karnataka Assembly to maintain the delicate alliance. In the RR Nagar Assembly, where the election was countermanded after the allegations of corruption and fake Voter IDs, the bypoll was won by Congress' Munirathna by a margin of over 25,400 votes. His nearest rival was BJP candidate Tulsi Muniraju Gowda. JD(S), which had decided to go alone in the RR Nagar bypoll, has lent its support to Congress candidate for Jayanagar bypoll to defeat BJP in its stronghold. The votes will be counted on Wednesday.