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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday, discussing the upcoming Bagalkote by-election, said that three members from the Meti family, Mallikarjun, Umesh, and Mahadevi, have sought the ticket for the Bagalkote assembly constituency.
In response, the Chief Minister said he has told the Meti family members that regardless of who receives the ticket, members of the Meti group must work together. However, he stated that the final decision regarding the Bagalkote and Davanagere seats will be taken by the high command. "The decision on the Bagalkote and Davanagere seats will be taken by the high command. Randeep Singh Surjewala will visit the state on Friday, 20th March. A team had already visited Davanagere and Bagalkote yesterday, and they will submit a report. Based on that, I will discuss with the Deputy Chief Minister and send our report. Three members from the Meti family -- Mallikarjun, Umesh, and Mahadevi -- are seeking the ticket. I have told them that whoever gets the ticket, all of them should work together, and they have agreed to this..." said Siddaramaiah. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for by-elections across eight Assembly constituencies in six states. The constituencies include Ponda (Goa), Umreth (Gujarat), Bagalkot and Davanagere South (Karnataka), Rahuri and Baramati (Maharashtra), Dharmanagar (Tripura), and Koridang (Nagaland). The vacancies arose following the deaths of several sitting legislators. In Maharashtra, the Rahuri and Baramati seats fell vacant due to the demise of MLAs Shivaji Bhanudas Kardile and Ajit Pawar, respectively. In Karnataka, the Bagalkot seat became vacant following the death of H.Y. Meti, while the Davanagere South seat fell vacant after the death of veteran MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa. These by-elections are being conducted to fill the resulting vacancies in the respective state assemblies. According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, polling will be held on April 23, 2026. As per the programme, the gazette notification will be issued on March 30, 2026 (Monday). The last date for filing nomination papers is April 6, 2026 (Monday), while scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on April 7, 2026 (Tuesday). The last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 9, 2026 (Thursday). Polling in the constituencies will be conducted on April 23, 2026 (Thursday). After polling, the counting of votes will take place on May 4, 2026 (Monday), and the results will be declared the same day. The entire election process will be completed by May 6, 2026 (Wednesday), the Commission said. The Election Commission has instructed all concerned authorities to make necessary arrangements for the by-elections and ensure strict compliance with the Model Code of Conduct. (ANI)
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