Stage set for MLC polls from 2 graduates’ & 2 teachers’ constituencies in Karnataka

Bengaluru: The stage is set for the biennial election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from two graduates’ and two teachers’ constituencies on Monday with the four seats witnessing an intense contest. 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’. 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 is a former Chairman of the Legislative Council until recently, 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. For N-W Teachers’ constituency, the battle is between Arun Shahpur of BJP, who is seeking re-election against former Congress Prakash Hukkeri