Karnataka Legislative Council Election Dates Announced for Four Seats

The election schedule for four Karnataka Legislative Council seats has now been announced, setting the stage for a fresh contest in two Graduates constituencies and two Teachers constituencies. The four seats are becoming vacant as the terms of the sitting members end in November.

The Election Commission has scheduled polling for October 23 from 8 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes will take place on October 27. The electoral process is expected to be completed by October 31. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force immediately in the concerned constituencies.

The Karnataka election is part of a larger exercise covering 28 Legislative Council seats across four states. Uttar Pradesh has 11 seats, Bihar has eight, Maharashtra has five and Karnataka has four seats going to polls. All these elections are being held from Graduates and Teachers constituencies.

For Karnataka, the four constituencies involved are the South East Graduates constituency, West Graduates constituency, North East Teachers constituency and Bengaluru Teachers constituency. The sitting members whose terms are ending are Chidanand M Gowda, S V Sankanur, Shashil G Namoshi and Puttanna. Their terms are scheduled to end on November 11, 2026.

The nomination process will begin after the notification is issued on September 29. Candidates can submit their nomination papers until October 6. The scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on October 7, while October 9 has been fixed as the final date for withdrawal of candidature.

The election is different from a regular Assembly election because voting in these constituencies is limited to eligible electors registered in the respective Graduates and Teachers electoral rolls. The Election Commission states that Graduates constituency voters must meet specific educational and residence requirements, while Teachers constituency voters must satisfy prescribed teaching experience requirements.

The four Karnataka seats have attracted attention because the upcoming election will determine the next representatives from these specialised constituencies in the Legislative Council. The election process will now move into the nomination stage, with candidates and political parties expected to focus on their respective constituencies.

The announcement also provides a clear timeline for voters and candidates. September 29 will mark the formal start of the nomination process, followed by scrutiny and withdrawal in early October. Campaign activity will then continue ahead of the October 23 polling date.

The Election Commission has also made it clear that the Model Code of Conduct applies immediately to the concerned Graduates and Teachers constituencies. This means the election process will now be conducted under the rules governing electoral conduct in the affected areas.

The four outgoing members represent different parts of Karnataka and different categories of voters. Chidanand M Gowda is from the Karnataka South East Graduates constituency, while S V Sankanur represents the Karnataka West Graduates constituency. Shashil G Namoshi represents the Karnataka North East Teachers constituency and Puttanna represents the Bengaluru Teachers constituency.

The Karnataka election is part of the Election Commission’s wider schedule for Legislative Council vacancies across the four states. Together, the 28 seats include 12 Graduates constituencies and 16 Teachers constituencies, according to the announced distribution across Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

With polling fixed for October 23, the coming weeks will be important for candidates seeking to enter the contest. The nomination deadline on October 6 will reveal the final field after scrutiny and withdrawals are completed.

For voters in the affected Karnataka constituencies, the election will bring a separate electoral exercise focused specifically on Graduates and Teachers representation. Eligible voters will therefore need to check their registration in the appropriate electoral roll and follow the election information issued by the authorities.

The counting scheduled for October 27 will determine the results in all four Karnataka constituencies. Until then, the election process will move through notification, nominations, scrutiny, withdrawal and polling according to the timetable announced by the Election Commission.