Karnataka legislative council by-poll preview: Here's what to expect

By-election for vacant seat of Karnataka Legislative Council scheduled for tomorrow.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled the by-election for one vacant seat of the Karnataka Legislative Council tomorrow, i.e., on Friday. The seat in question became vacant after former MLC Puttanna resigned from both the Legislative Council and the BJP before the May 10 assembly election last year.

The seat in question became vacant after former MLC Puttanna resigned from both the Legislative Council and the BJP before the May 10 assembly election last year. (HT Photo/Representative use)

Election Schedule

The notification for the election was issued on January 23 and the last date of making nominations was January 30. The nominations were scrutinised the next day on January 31 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature was February 2, according to news agency PTI.

The election will set to take place from 8 am to 4 pm on Friday, and counting of votes will be undertaken on February 20, Tuesday. The agency quoted a press note by the ECI as saying that the polling process should be completed by February 23. The term of the winning candidate will last till November 11, 2026.

Puttana had quit the BJP and contested from Bengaluru city's Rajajinagar assembly constituency on a Congress ticket. He lost to former minister and BJP candidate S Suresh Kumar.

Both the Congress and the NDA filed nominations for the legislative council election from the Bangalore Teachers’ Constituency on January 29. This included former MLC Puttanna from the Congress party and A P Ranganath representing the BJP-JD(S) alliance.

Ban on sale of liquor in Bengaluru

Authorities also imposed a ban on the sale of liquor in nearly all parts of Bengaluru in view of the by-poll, excluding the areas that fall under the jurisdiction of the police commissioner. The four-day ban, set in place to prevent untoward incidents, started from 5 pm on Thursday and is set to be in effect till 6 am on February 17, Saturday.

(With PTI inputs)