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Journalism of Courage
Putting an end to speculations, the Election Commission on Wednesday announced three-phase elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly on May 10, May 16 and May 22. The counting will be held on May 25 well before the May 28 deadline for constituting the new Assembly. Karnataka will also become the first state to go to polls with the new delimited constituencies.
“With the announcement of poll schedule today, the model code of conduct has become applicable with immediate effect,” said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalaswami, who will lead a central team to the state on Thursday to review poll preparations. “Based on the assessment of the security requirement and depending upon the availability of the security forces, the Commission has decided to hold a three-phase election,” the CEC said.
However, since the Assembly was dissolved on November 29 last year after the state was brought under President’s Rule on November 20, the Government would have to extend Central rule till the new Government takes over.
Though the elections would be held as per the new delimited constituencies, the EC has decided to collate electoral data from Karnataka from earlier rolls. “Rule 24 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 provides that if it is urgently required to prepare the electoral roll of a constituency delimited anew, the commission can prepare these by collating the earlier electoral rolls in terms of new constituencies and by making appropriate alterations in the rolls so compiled,” said Gopalaswami. He said the State Election Commission has already published the electoral rolls in terms of old constituencies and this has already been shared with all political parties. According to the new roll, Karnataka now has over four crore voters and a little under 40,000 polling stations. CEC added that 62 per cent of the voters have identity cards.
