K’taka: Bypolls to 1 LS seat and three assembly constituencies likely to be held along with Bengal elections

Bengaluru: Bypolls to one Lok Sabha seat and three assembly constituencies of Karnataka is likely to be held along with the West Bengal assembly elections.

Bypolls are due in the Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency and Basavakalyan, Maski and Sindagi assembly segments.

As per rules, the poll process for any pending byelection should be held within six months of the seat falling vacant, therefore the election for the two seats of Belagavi and Basavakalyan should be held on or before March 23.

And the schedule should be announced in a couple of days or latest by the month-end.

The Belagavi Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Union minister Suresh Angadi, who represented it, died of Covid-19 on September 23, 2020. This was followed by the demise of Congress MLA B Narayan Rao, who represented Basavakalayan, the next day.

The poll to Maski should also have concluded by March 23 as it was necessitated due to the defection of disqualified Congress MLA Pratap Gouda Patil to BJP in 2019. It was delayed due to a pending court case, and the high court in October 2020 cleared the decks for it. Sindagi was the latest of the segments to fall vacant after the demise of sitting JD(S) MLA MC Managuli.