Bengaluru : Stage has been 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, which 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 unrecognised parties.
More than 2 lakh 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.
Teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies exist in states that have a legislature with two houses - the assembly and council. As close as possible to one-twelfth of MLCs are to be elected by an electorate consisting solely of graduates and another one-twelfth comprising just of teachers.
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.
