BENGALURU, 24 APRIL

As Karnataka gears up for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on 26 April, Election Commission on Wednesday said all the polling stations in the Bengaluru Rural and Mysuru constituencies will be webcast. As of now, a total of 189 cases have been booked against political parties or candidates for major violations under Model Code of Conduct (MCC), they said.

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena said 1.4 lakh polling officials will be on duty at the 30,602 polling stations across the 14 constituencies which are going for polls in the first phase on Friday. Besides them, 5,000 micro-observers, 50,000 civil police personnel, 65 companies of Central Parliamentary Force and State Armed Police force of other States will also be deployed for security at these polling stations, he said.

"All the 2,829 polling stations of Bengaluru Rural parliamentary constituency will be 100 per cent webcast. This is as per the request of our returning officers and observers; so we have given more than double central parliamentary force for the Bengaluru Rural Constituency. Seven companies of central paramilitary forces have been inducted at the constituency since 22 April," Meena said.

Of the 30,602 polling stations — 19,701 polling stations will be webcast while 1,370 will be covered via CCTVs, he said. Of the total 189 cases booked against political parties or candidates – 23 are related to hate speeches, 28 related to inducement, and 15 related to misuse of religious places among other MCC violations, the official said.

Listing out the alleged MCC violations by political parties, for hate speech, 12 cases have been booked against BJP or its candidates, nine cases against Congress and two cases against JD(S), he said. In connection with inducement, eight cases have been filed against BJP, nine against Congress, three against JD(S) and eight against independent candidates or “unrecognised” political parties.

For misuse of religious places, eight cases have been booked against BJP, six against Congress and one against an independent candidate. For using children for canvassing, seven cases each have been booked against BJP and Congress and one against an independent candidate, he added. —PTI