New Delhi: Karnataka is set to go to the polls on May 10 to elect its next government, the Election Commission announced on Wednesday.
The results will be declared on May 13 while the nominations will have to be submitted from April 13 and the last date would be April 20.
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The last date for withdrawal of nominations would be April 24 and the scrutiny would be by April 21, the ECI announced.
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The announcement has set the stage for a high-stakes political battle between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).
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The BJP, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, is hoping to retain power in the state, despite allegations of corruption and communal polarisation.
The election will also be a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party’s policies at the national and state level.
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The previous assembly election in Karnataka was held in May 2018, resulting in a hung assembly. The BJP had emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats but fell short of a majority in the previous election.
The Congress and JD-S formed a post-poll coalition with 80 and 37 seats respectively and formed the government with HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister
However, in July 2019, the coalition collapsed after several MLAs resigned from their parties and joined the BJP.
The BJP then formed the government with BS Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister, who resigned in July 2021 and was replaced by Mr Bommai. The counting of votes will take place on May 13 and the results will be declared on the same day.