Mysore/Mysuru: Varuna Constituency Congress candidate and former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah cast his vote at his native village Siddaramanahundi in the taluk this morning.

Siddu, who was accompanied by his MLA son Dr. Yathindra Siddharamaiah and  daughter-in-law Smitha Rakesh (wife of Siddu’s elder son late Rakesh Siddharamaiah), cast his vote at Booth No.86 (Karnataka Public School). Earlier, he was accorded a warm welcome by villagers as he arrived at Siddaramanahundi where he offered prayers at Siddarameshwara temple. As a large number of villagers thronged the polling booth, the Police had a tough time in controlling the crowd.

Speaking to presspersons before casting his vote, Siddharamaiah expressed confidence that the Congress would return to power in the State. Maintaining that the frequent visits of Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will prove futile as the BJP is surely going to lose the polls, he expressed confidence that he would win by a huge margin in Varuna.

Reacting to CM Bommai’s remarks that the BJP would get an absolute majority, Siddu said it is natural for all parties to claim victory. However, it is for sure that the Congress would return to power with a comfortable majority as the voters are fed up with the BJP, which has spent huge sums of money for winning the polls through all unfair means, he added.

Senior voters confused as officials seek corrected IDs

Some senior voters of Varuna were a confused lot as officials demanded that they provide an alternative ID card as the voter ID card produced by them said that they were voters of Chamundeshwari Constituency. These voters were from villages which were brought under Varuna Assembly segment after being transferred from Chamundeshwari following the delimitation of Constituencies in 2008.

Some voters claimed that this is for the first time since 2008 that they were asked to bring other permitted ID cards as their voter ID cards mentioned Chamundeshwari Constituency of which they were voters prior to 2008. 

Many voters in such villages, who had carried their old voter ID cards which they had produced in the earlier elections (2008, 2013 and 2018) and cast votes, were seen rushing back to their homes for bringing other ID card to prove their identity, while some others left their polling booths grumbling and cursing the officials,  it is learnt.

The administration had provided tight security at all polling booths of Varuna Assembly segment, with Para Military Personnel (3 to 5 members) guarding the booths that are declared as critical.