Bhatkal: The Election Commissioner has announced that Karnataka's elections will be held in two phases. Bhatkal with Uttara Kannada, along with Chikkodi, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura (SC), Kalaburagi (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Ballari (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Davangere, and Shivamogga, is scheduled to vote on May 7. Meanwhile, Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Chitradurga (SC), Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar (SC), Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapura, and Kolar (SC) will vote on April 26.
Following this announcement, a strict electoral code of conduct has been enforced nationwide, kickstarting the election campaign.
In the Bhatkal-Honnavar Constituency of Uttara Kannada, elections are slated for May 7. Bhatkal has been allocated 140 polling stations, with 102 in rural areas and 38 within municipal and Jali Patan Panchayat limits. Honnavar will have 102 polling stations, with 92 in rural locations and 16 in urban areas.
The latest voter list, published on January 22, records 136,587 voters in Bhatkal and 88,541 in Honnavar, including 360 VIP voters in Bhatkal and 260 in Honnavar.
Six polling stations in Bhatkal Taluk (Nos. 217, 218, 219, 220, 227, 229) and three in Honnavar Taluk (Nos. 74, 84, 85) are identified as weak due to historically low turnout. Conversely, 26 stations in Bhatkal and 11 in Honnavar have shown high voter engagement in past elections, with over 75% turnout.
Most polling stations, except for 15 in Bhatkal, are situated in government buildings, equipped for the electoral process. Notably, one Bhatkal polling station (No. 117) is located 25 km away from its main station, similar to 30 stations in Honnavar.
Sri Gurusudhindra College in Bhatkal will host an election office. Transport logistics include 13 buses, 19 tempos, and 9 jeeps for Bhatkal, with Honnavar utilizing 10 buses, 20 tempos, and 15 jeeps.
A total of 22 officers in Bhatkal and 17 in Honnavar will oversee the adherence to the election code. Training for election staff will be conducted at Anand Ashram Convent School in Bhatkal and Holy Rosary Convent in Honnavar.
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