Explained: What is the significance of Karnataka legislative council polls?

Why were legislative council polls held in Karnataka on December 10?

The legislative council polls are being held on account of the six year terms of 25 elected members of the upper house of the Karnataka legislative council coming to an end on January 5, 2022. In the list of members retiring on January 5, the opposition Congress party has 15 members, the ruling BJP has six and the opposition JDS has four members. The strength of the upper house is 75 seats and the ruling BJP, which has a wafer-thin majority at present, will be looking to wrest a sizable number of seats from the 15 held by the Congress to reach a position of strength in the council. The Congress and JDS are aiming to hold on to their positions in the house in order to act as a counter balance to the BJP. The Congress holds 15 seats in the current council and the JDS has four seats.

Which are the constituencies going to the polls and who are the voters?

The elections are being held to elect 25 members to the legislative council through 20 local authorities. The voters for the polls are over one lakh elected representatives from local bodies – gram panchayat members, town panchayat members, MLAs etc – in 20 districts in the state. The polls this time are considered to be highly commercial in nature on account of all the parties fielding wealthy candidates – with purchasing power – for the polls. The Congress party has fielded a wealthy real estate businessman Yusuf Sharif – who has declared wealth to the tune of Rs 1744 crore. The BJP and Congress are contesting for all 25 seats while the JDS is vying for six seats. As many as five districts have two seats up for grabs.

How significant are the legislative council polls?

The polls are significant because it offers the BJP the opportunity to wrest control of the upper house in the council where it currently has a very thin majority. The BJP is hoping to eat into the tally of the Congress which has 15 seats at stake compared to the BJP’s six. The BJP is keen to wrest seven to eight Congress seats since there is currently an element of uncertainty in the BJP government over its ability to get controversial legislation cleared through the council – where the Congress and JDS can disagree with bills proposed by the BJP and join hands to defeat it. The BJP will be going into a winter session of the state legislature from December 13 with the existing seat strength of 32 in the 75 member council. The BJP which has proposed a controversial anti-conversion bill for the state has not yet decided on the introduction of the bill in the winter session since the bill can be defeated if introduced for voting under the present composition of the council. A clear majority in the house will help the BJP push through legislation without any fear of opposition. As many as seven more seats in the council are set to fall vacant on June 14, 2022, giving the BJP a chance to gain control of the council by mid-2022.

The polls are also significant for CM Bommai to establish his authority after the BJP lost a key assembly seat in the chief minister’s backyard held on October 30. Bommai has claimed that the BJP would win a sizable number of seats in the polls. Other BJP leaders like former CM B S Yediyurappa – who has been involved with campaigning – have predicted around 15 seats.

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