A total of 2,22,814 candidates opposed the election, while 8,074 were elected unopposed. (Archive)
Bangalore:
Both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Karnataka on Wednesday claimed major victories for their backed candidates in recent elections against more than 5,700 village panchayats, including as vote counting was under way in the exercise of base.
The elections, which were not conducted with party symbols, were held for 82,616 seats in 5,728 village panchayats in two phases on December 22 and 27 using ballots with a voter turnout of 78.58 percent, and scrutiny resumed on Wednesday morning.
Officials from the Karnataka State Election Commission said the count was at 226 centers at the Taluk headquarters by adhering to the strict COVID-19 protocol of mandatory use of face masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
Although there was no official statement of results until late evening, BJP head of state Nalin Kumar Kateel and congressional leader Siddaramaiah maintained that candidates backed by their parties were winning the maximum number of seats.
A total of 2,22,814 candidates opposed the election, while 8,074 were elected unopposed.
Although these polls are not conducted on party symbols, all political parties have made an effort to ensure that the candidate they support wins, in order to have their control over grassroots politics.
In a statement, Kateel said that the BJP “won the maximum number of seats”, for which he gave credence to various strategies outlined by the party.
He said rural-focused schemes like Gram Swaraj and the activation of committees at the booth level helped bring to the people the measures initiated by the central and state governments for development.
“People supported the development and voted for the BJP-backed candidates,” Kateel said.
Siddaramaiah, in a series of tweets, claimed that the farmers taught the BJP a lesson.
“Rural India is frustrated by the policies implemented by @ BJP4India. Farmers are against the laws against farmers and found that the Gram Panchayat elections were the perfect opportunity to teach @ BJP4India a lesson. Reports suggest that the candidates supported by @INCKarnataka are winning, “he said. .
“Congress has always strongly supported farmers and rural areas in India. This has always instilled trust among the people. The tradition of winning has continued,” he tweeted.
Noting that this was a challenging time for Congress in the state, the former prime minister expressed apprehension that the BJP could lure its winning candidates to change.
The JD (S) has not yet made any statement on the result of the survey.
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