Bengaluru: By-elections to Sindagi and Hangal assembly constituencies of Karnataka will be held on 30 October, said Central Election Commission.
The election notification will be issued on October 1. The last date for filing nominations would be on October 8 and the date of scrutiny of nominations would be on October 11.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 16 and the result will be announced on November 2.
The voting for the two constituencies will be held on October 30.
The commission has decided to use electronic voting machines and VVPATS.
The Hangal seat in Haveri district fell vacant after former minister CM Udasi's death. The 85-year-old had passed away due to age-related illness.
Udasi was the minister for public works in the BS Yediyurappa cabinet in 2008 and had represented the Hangal Assembly constituency in Haveri district for six times.
He was a close associate of Yediyurappa. He had quit BJP and joined Yediyurappa's Karnataka Janata Party in 2013, but lost to Congress candidate Manohar Tahasildar.
Udasi returned to the BJP in 2018 after Yediyurappa rejoined the BJP and contested from Hangal on a BJP ticket and emerged victorious.
In Sindagi assembly constituency of Vijayapura district, the sitting JDS MLA M C Managuli passed away in January due to age-related health ailments.
Litmus test for Bommai: Both Hangal and Sindagi byelections are litmus tests for the leadership of chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, as both the constituencies are dominated by Lingayat community.
Of late, the Lingayat seers had expressed their ire over the removal of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who is a Lingayat strongman.
In this backdrop, it remains to be seen how Bommai, who also belongs to the Lingayat community, fares in these byelections.
In the very first electoral test, BJP, led by Bommai, outrightly won the Belagavi municipal corporation election and improved seats in Kalaburagi municipal corporation election, but fell short of simple majority.
In his hometown, however, the BJP fell short to obtain Hubballi-Dharwad corporation.
Nevertheless, Bommai is making all efforts to capture power in Kalaburagi and Hubballi-Dharwad corporations. The BJP is in talks with the JDS to obtain power in Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi corporations.