35 candidates file nominations so far for Dec 5 bypolls

A total of 35 candidates have so far filed 36 nominations for the December 5 bypolls in 15 assembly constituencies in Karnataka, poll officials said here on Monday.

Among the nominations filed, 15 are from Congress, one each from BJP, JD(S) and CPI(M); while remaining are from smaller parties or independents.

Bypolls to 15 of 17 seats represented by disqualified MLAs, whose resignation and absence from the trust vote led to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, and made way for the BJP to come to power, will be held on December 5.

The bypolls were earlier slated for October 21, but the EC had deferred them to December 5 after the apex court decided to hear the petitions of the disqualified MLAs.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on November 13, its verdict on the pleas of 17 disqualified Congress-JD (S) MLAs of Karnataka, challenging the orders of the then Assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to disqualify them.

The Gazette Notification for the amended scheduled of the bypolls was issued on September 27, and the date for restarting of making nominations is November 11 (Monday).

There were 29 nominations made before the Election Commission amended the bypolls schedule and those nominations still hold good, poll officials have said.

The last date of nominations is November 18, scrutiny will be on November 19, while the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is November 21 Counting of votes will take place on December 9.

The 15 constituencies that will go for bypolls include Athani, Kagwad, Gokak, Yellapur, Hirekerur, Ranibennur, Vijayanagar, Chikballapur, KR Puram, Yeshwanthpur, Mahalakshmi Layout, Shivajinagar, Hoskote, KR Pet and Hunsur.

However, elections to Maski and RR Nagar constituencies have been withheld as separate cases with regard to them, are pending before the High Court. A total of 37,50,565 are eligible to cast their votes during the bypolls, of whom 19,12,791 are men, 18,37,375 are women, and 399 are others. Voters will exercise their franchise in 4,185 polling stations for which 8,370 ballot units, control units and VVPATs will be used.