By-elections for 15 seats vacant in Karnataka after resignations of Congress and JDS legislators have been anunced by Election Commision of India. Elections for four of those constituencies will be held on January 24 and for eleven remaining, on January 27. EC is yet to anunce dates for elections for two more seats, Maski and Rajarajaeshwari Nagar, which too were rendered vacant after mass resignations. 

by-polls will have colossal repercussions for political landscape of state as current BJP government has a wafer-thin majority in assembly where total strength was reduced after resignations of 17 MLAs.  After legislators h tendered ir resignations to n speaker Ramesh Kumar, he h sought to disqualify all 17 of m till expiry of assembly tenure. His disqualification order has been challenged in Supreme Court by former legislators.

petition claims that action of n speaker was ‘arbitrary and unreasonable’ and sought to reverse his decision. It also contended that speaker’s verdict is ‘an abuse of his powers under 10th Schedule of Constitution’.  petition is still being heard by SC and orders for same are awaited. On September 16th, Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar h recused himself from hearing case stating that since he hails from Karnataka, his conscience does t allow him to be part of bench. Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice Ajay Rastogi were or two judges on bench hearing case. 

Between July 1 and 10, 15 Congress and JDS legislators h tendered ir resignations and two independent MLAs h withdrawn ir support to HD Kumaraswamy led coalition government.  After much political parlaying and high-octane debate for days on floor of Karnataka assembly, on August 26, BJP formed government in state.

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current party-wise numbers of Karnataka Assembly is as follows: 

halfway mark in Karnataka assembly is 112 and in a truncated assembly, BJP h won trust vote comfortably as magic number was 105 and BJP legislators, with support of an independent MLA h sailed smoothly. BJP will have to win at least 8 of 15 seats in by-polls to retain ir government in state. opposition parties, Congress and JDS, which h formed previous government toger have decided to fight by-elections separately, without a pre-poll alliance with each or. 

• BJP: 104
• INC: 66
• JD(S): 34
• BSP: 1
• Ind: 1
• Speaker: 1 
• minated: 1
• Vacant: 17
• Total: 225

RE: Maharashtra & Haryana Elections 2019 on October 21; results on 24th 

SCHEDULE FOR KARNATAKA BY-POLLS

• Karnataka 03- Athani on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 04- Kagw on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 09- Gokak on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 87- Ranebennur on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 81- Yellapur on January 27, 2020

• Karnataka 86- Hirekerur on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 90- Vijayanagara on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 141- Chikkaballapur on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 151- K.R. Pura on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 153- Yeshwanthpur on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 156- Mahalakshmi Layout on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 162- Shivajinagar on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 178- Hosakote on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 192- Krishnarajpet on January 24, 2020

• Karnataka 212- Hunsur on January 24, 2020

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