Stage set for MLC polls from two graduates', teachers' constituencies

Bengaluru: Stage is set for biennial election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from two each graduates' and teachers' constituencies on Monday, which is witnessing an intense contest.

The polling will be held between 8 am to 5 pm tomorrow, for which a total of 49 candidates are in the fray and among them four are women, poll officials said.

The ruling BJP and the principal opposition party Congress have fielded one each to all the four constituencies: North-West Graduates', South Graduates', North-West Teachers', and West Teachers'.

While the JD(S) has candidates in the fray other than for North-West Graduates' constituency, remaining candidates are all either independents or from un-recognised parties.

A total of 2,84,922 voters will be casting their votes in about 607 polling stations for the election to four MLC seats.

Counting of votes will take place on June 15.

The elections to the four seats of the Upper House of Karnataka Legislature, have been necessitated as the term of BJP's Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa (N-W Graduates') and JD(S)' K T Srikante Gowda (S-Graduates'), also BJP''s Arun Shahpur (N-W Teachers') and JD(S)' Basavaraj Horatti (W-Teachers') coming to an end on July 4.

Horatti, who was the former Chairman of Legislative Council until recently, had resigned from the post to join the BJP, and is now the ruling party's candidate for West Teachers' constituency, seeking a record eighth successive term. He is pitted against Basavaraj Gurikar and Shrishail Gadadinni from Congress and JD(S) respectively.

For N-W Teachers' constituency, the battle is between Arun Shahpur of BJP, who is seeking re-election against former Congress MLA and MP Prakash Hukkeri and Chandrashekhar Esappa Loni of JD(S); while for South Graduates' constituency former MLC M V Ravishankar of the BJP is facing Madhu G Madegowda of Congress and H K Ramu of JD(S) as his opponents.

Out of the four constituencies only N-W Graduates seat is likely to face a direct fight between Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa of BJP, who is seeking re-election and Congress' Sunil Annappa Sank, as JD(S)has not fielded any candidate from the seat.

There are several candidates from un-recognised parties and independents also in the fray from all the four constituencies.

The outcome of this poll is crucial for the ruling BJP, to maintain its majority in the 75-member upper house, that it recently gained, following the unopposed election of four of its candidates during the biennial polls for seven MLC seats in the state to be elected by MLAs, held last month.