New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday announced that the Karnataka Legislative Assembly polls will be held on May 10. The counting of votes will be held on May 13, said Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
The EC did not announce a bypoll in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 mandates the Election Commission to fill casual vacancies in the Houses of Parliament and state legislatures through byelections within six months from the date of occurrence of the vacancy, provided that the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is one year or more.
The poll results in Karnataka will have a pan-India effect with the saffron party looking to expand its base outside its traditional vote bank hubs.
The term of the 224-member legislative assembly in Karnataka is set to expire on May 24, 2023. At present, BJP has 118 seats, Congress 72, and JDS 32. A tight contest is on the cards in the state where region and caste equations are a huge factor in deciding the votes.
The ruling BJP has exuded confidence that it will emerge victorious in at least 150 of the total 224 seats. The Congress has so far announced a list of 124 candidates and the JDS 93. All the main faces of the Congress party in the state have found a place in the first list of candidates.
Assembly polls in Karnataka are slated before May when the tenure of the current assembly ends.