Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, May 3: The state election commission on Thursday May 2, said that it will hold elections to 63 urban local bodies in the state except city corporations in the state including Bengaluru and Mangaluru, on May 29. These local bodies are spread over 1,361 wards. The election model code of conduct has come to play with this announcement, said state election commissioner, P N Sreenivasachari.
He was addressing a press meet held here on Thursday May 2. He said that city corporations including Bengaluru are excluded from this phase of election.
File photo
Sreenivasachari explained that elections are due in 103 urban local bodies in the state between March and July but in 39 cases, the process of ward-wise reservation and delimitation exercise issues are pending in the state high court. He said that the commission decided against holding simultaneous poll for Kundagol town panchayat where the by-poll to Kundagol assembly constituency is also due to be held.
The deputy commissioners of respective districts will issue election notifications on may 9. Election code of conduct has come into play with immediate effect since May 2 in bodies where the election is being held. Simultaneous elections will be held for ten constituencies in eight taluk panchayats, and 202 gram panchayat seats that have fallen vacant for various reasons. For the taluk and gram panchayats, the DCs will issue notifications on May 13. Counting of votes will take plae for all these elections on May 31.
The commission had conducted elections for 109 local bodies, terms of which were to end by September 2018, during last year.
Last date for filing of nominations for urban local bodies is May 16, scrutiny of nominations will be held on May 17, last date for withdrawal of nominations will be May 20, and polling will be held on May 29 between 7 am and 6 pm. Counting of votes will take place from 8 am onward on May 31 at the respective taluk headquarters, he informed.
The Congress has already announced that it will not have any alliance with the JD(S) for this election. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, however, said that local leaders are free to enter into understanding depending upon local needs. Congress had earlier confirmed to its workers that its electoral understanding with the JD(S) was limited to assembly and Lok Sabha polls and it has of late found that the workers of both the Congress and JD(S) at local levels have been finding it very difficult to get along with each other as they have been harbouring bitter political rivalry since long.