Karnataka Legislative Council polls: Voting for seven seats begins in Bengaluru

Voting for seven seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council commenced on June 18 at the Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru. The election, conducted through secret ballot, involves members of the state's Legislative Assembly as voters.

The ruling Congress party, which currently holds 37 seats in the 75-member Upper House, is expected to secure a majority. With the tenure of three Congress MLCs ending, the party's strength would reduce to 34. To counter this, the Congress has fielded five candidates. If all five win, its tally would rise to 39.

Of the seven seats, the Congress is expected to comfortably win four, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to secure two. The Congress candidates include KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad, Tippanna Kamakanoor, P.V. Mohan, and B.S. Shivanna. The BJP has fielded Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya.

The seventh seat is being contested between Congress's Vinay Karthik and the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Govindaraju, who is the wealthiest candidate in the fray.

In the 224-member Lower House, the current effective strength is 222, following the disqualification of Vinay Kulkarni and the death of former minister D. Sudhakar. The Congress has 135 members and the support of two Independents, one member of the Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha, and two expelled BJP legislators—S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar. The BJP has 63 members, including G. Janardhan Reddy, while its ally, the JD(S), has 18 members. The BJP is also counting on the vote of expelled BJP member Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal.

A candidate requires a minimum of 28 votes to win. Parties often allocate extra votes as a precaution against invalid ballots or absent legislators.

To ensure security and order, the Bengaluru police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) within a one-kilometre radius of Vidhana Soudha. Entry is restricted to MLAs, MLCs, MPs, authorised officials, and polling or counting agents with valid passes.