From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Belgaum, Dec 11: Opposition Congress members in the Legislative Assembly have demanded the State Government to conduct the local body elections in Karnataka as per the 2011 census figures to cover the youth, who got voting rights till that year.

Raising the issue during the zero hour in the ongoing winter session of the State legislature in the Suvarna Soudha here on Tuesday, they said if the elections were held as per the 2001 census, many people belonging to the scheduled castes, tribes and backward classes would benefit.

Deputy Leader of the Congress T B Jayachandra, who raised the issue, said 88,000 youth in Tumkur district could not vote, if the elections were not held according to 2011 census.

Congress members H S Mahadeva Prasad and H C Mahadevappa supported the demand of the leader.

Minister for Urban Development S Suresh Kumar and Minister for Municipal Administration Balachandra Jarakiholi said that it was the Karnataka High Court that had ordered the State Government to complete the reservation list.

''We will do it by December 17,” said Suresh Kumar.

Referring to their complaint that reservation to scheduled castes and women had not been done properly and the list had been prepared on the basis of the 2001 census, the minister said that the MLAs could have submitted their objections to the deputy commissioner.

The last date for filing objections was December 10, he said and some members have demanded the time for filing objections must be extended to enable more people to voice their views and give suggestions.