The decks have been cleared for holding elections to the zilla panchayats in five districts following the vacation of the stay order given by a single judge by a division bench of the Kalaburagi bench of the high court here on Friday.

With this, elections to the zilla panchayats of Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur and VIjayapura will be held in the second phase on February 20 as announced by the State Election Commission recently.

A two-member division bench comprising Justice Aravindkumar and Justice B Manohar set aside the order of the single judge bench headed by Justice Rammohan Reddy staying the operation of the notification on reservation of constituencies of the five zilla panchayats. As many as nine writ petitions had been filed challenging the validity of reservation of 16 zilla panchayat constituencies pertaining to five districts and the single bench had stayed the operation of the reservation notification on January 19 and posted the matter for further hearing on February 2.

The SEC had challenged the order of the single judge and prayed for the vacation of the stay orders and allow it conduct the elections.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Govindreddy said that following the vacation of the stay, elections will be held simultaneously for taluk and zilla panchayats on February 20 in the second phase.