Mysore/Mysuru: JD(S) Corporator K.V. Sridhar, the city’s Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Co-operative Society President C.G. Gangadhar and MCDCC Bank (Mysuru & Chamarajanagar District Co-operative Central Bank) Director Dr. M.B. Manjegowda were elected as Directors of Karnataka State Vokkaligara Sangha, from the three seats of Mysuru-Chamarajanagar-Nilgiris districts in the election held on Dec. 12.

The counting of votes was taken up at Vokkaligara  Samudaya Bhavan in Vidyaranyapuram yesterday amid tight security.

Out of the 25,334 voters, 17,753 voters had exercised their franchise in the polls held on Sunday last.

There were nine candidates in the fray — K.V. Sridhar, Dr. K. Mahadev, Dr. M.B. Manjegowda,  C.G. Gangadhar, Beedanahalli Satishgowda, Susheela Nanjappa, C.J. Palaksha, B.R. Sumitra and Raju.

While K.V. Sridhar, Dr. K. Mahadev and Dr. M.B. Manjegowda had formed a syndicate, the rest of the candidates had contested on their own.

Right from the beginning, K.V. Sridhar overtook all other candidates and consolidated his lead as the counting progressed.

He was followed by C.G. Gangadhar and Dr. M.B. Manjegowda, who bagged the second and third positions respectively.

However, Dr. K. Mahadev, who led the troika syndicate (Dr.Mahadev, K.V. Sridhar and Dr. M.B. Manjegowda) and who had aspired to become the President of the Sangha, lost out in the race, by finishing fifth.

K.V. Sridhar came at the top securing 12,267 votes, followed by C.G. Gangadhar (10,174 votes), Dr. M.B. Manjegowda (8,790 votes), Beedanahalli Satishgowda (7,852 votes), Dr. K. Mahadev (7,042 votes), Susheela Nanjappa (1,779 votes), C.J. Palaksha (938 votes), B.R. Sumitra (795 votes) and Raju (408 votes).

Out of the 17,753 votes polled, 120 were declared invalid.

The polls to elect a total of 35 Directors, including three from Mysuru-Chamarajanagar-Nilgiris districts, was held in various districts of Southern Karnataka on Dec. 12. Now as the poll results are out, the new Board of Directors will elect the President of the Sangha at a later date.