Belgaum Lok Sabha bypoll on April 17

Bengaluru: The bypolls for Belgaum Lok Sabha and Basavakalyan and Maski Assembly segments will be held on April 17, the Election Commission of India said on Tuesday.

The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

The by-polls to Belgaum Lok Sabha and Basavakalyan assembly seats were necessitated following the death of Union Minister Suresh Angadi and MLA B Narayan Rao respectively due to COVID-19 in September last year.

The Maski seat fell vacant following the disqualification of MLA Prathapagouda Patil, who had won in 2018 from Congress and is now with the BJP.

The poll panel has however not announced the bypolls for Sindagi assembly seat, which had fallen vacant following the death of its sitting MLA and senior JD(S) leader M C Managuli in January at the age of 85 years.

The gazette notification for the bypolls will be issued on March 23, the last date for filing of nominations will be March 30 and scrutiny will take place the very next day. April 3 is the last date for withdrawal of candidatures, an official release said.

The Commission has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in these bye-elections in all polling stations. It said the model code of conduct would come into force with immediate effect in the districts in which the whole or any part of the Parliamentary/Assembly constituency going for election is included.

In view of the spread of COVID-19, the guidelines will be followed strictly during the conduct of elections, it added.

With an aim to win these seats, the ruling BJP and opposition Congress have already begun the process of shortlisting the candidates, party sources said.

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy had recently said his party would contest by-elections for Basavakalyan and Maski Assembly seats but had expressed doubts about fielding a candidate for Belgaum LS seat, stating that the party was a bit weak there.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had on Monday in the assembly expressed confidence that BJP would win the bypolls on the strength of the 2021-22 budget he presented earlier this month.