Voting for 7 Karnataka Legislative Council seats began at Vidhana Soudha. Congress MLAs arrived in buses, while the BJP expressed confidence in winning two seats. The main contest is for the seventh seat between Congress and JD(S) candidates.
Voting for 7 seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council began at 9 AM on Thursday at Vidhana Soudha and will continue till 4 PM. Two polling booths have been set up inside the state secretariat to facilitate secret voting by MLAs. CCTV cameras have been installed both inside and outside the polling room, and all arrangements for voting have been completed. Necessary police security has been deployed at Vidhana Soudha. Results will be announced this evening after voting concludes.
Ahead of polling, Congress MLAs arrived at Vidhana Soudha in groups. Buses were arranged to bring legislators from a resort to the venue for the election. On the MLC polls, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka expressed confidence that the BJP's two candidates will win. While speaking to ANI, Ashok said, "Our two candidates will win, there is no doubt at all. We have good MLAs in our party; there is no cross-voting. We have to transfer the excess votes to the JDS... I called a meeting today and gave the whip."
Candidates and Contest Details
Of the seven seats falling vacant, four are held by the Congress, two by the BJP and one by the JD(S). Eight candidates are in the fray for seven seats, with each candidate needing 28 votes to secure a win. The Congress has fielded four candidates: BK Hariprasad, Tippannappa Kamaknoor, PV Mohan and Shivanna Malavalli. The BJP has nominated Raghu Kautilya and Lingaraj Patil. The main contest for the seventh seat is expected to be between Congress candidate Vinay Karthik and JD(S) candidate Govindaraju.
A Test for CM D.K. Shivakumar
The election is being seen as an important test for Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, as it is the first major poll under his leadership.
Maharashtra MLC By-election
Meanwhile, voting also begins for the Nagpur local authorities legislative council by-election in Maharashtra on Thursday.
According to a press note issued by the ECI, the vacancy arose on November 23, 2024, after sitting member Chandrashekhar Krishnaraoji Bawankule vacated the seat following his election to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. His term was to run till January 1, 2028. The Commission said the by-election could not be held earlier as the criteria for local bodies and electors in the constituency were not fulfilled. Now, with the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra, informing that at least 75% of local bodies are functioning and 75% of electors are in place, the Commission has decided to proceed.
As per the schedule released by the ECI, notification will be issued on May 25, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is June 1, scrutiny will be held on June 2, and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is June 4. Polling will take place from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on June 18. Counting of votes is scheduled for June 22, and the election process will be completed before June 25. (ANI)
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