Tension prevailed at polling station no 3 in Banniganur village in Ragalaparvi Gram Panchayat for some time after Abhishekh Nadagouda, son of Sindhanur Janata Dal(S) MLA Venkatarao Nadagouda, charged the Returning Officer with working in favour of a candidate supported by the Congress and demanded that the officer be replaced immediately. Following the incident, election officers closed the doors of the polling station, suspending voting for 20 minutes. They later allowed voting to resume after officers, including Tahsildar Yallappa Subedar, spoke to Mr. Abhishekh Nadagouda stating that the Returning Officer had been asked to leave the polling station.
Reacting to the Banniganur incident, Raichur Deputy Commissioner R. Venkatesh Kumar told The Hindu: “I have sought a detailed report from the tahsildar of Sindhanur. I will take action against the Returning Officer based on the report.” Mr. Venkatesh Kumar has also denied reports that breakfast was distributed in Banniganur village.
In another incident, it was said that candidate Jamadagni distributed breakfast to people within a radius of 100 m from the polling station at Rangapur village in Gudadur Gram Panchayat in Maski taluk.
