Date:18/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/18/stories/2007041813260400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Municipal polls in July or August

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The State Election Commission has put off elections to 207 urban local bodies, including six city corporations, which were scheduled to be held on May 13. This follows the directions of the Karnataka High Court giving the State Government nine weeks' time to redo the list of wards set apart for reserved categories.

State Election Commissioner M.R. Hegde told presspersons here on Tuesday that the April 10 direction issued by the commission to all deputy commissioners to conduct elections to the local bodies in their jurisdiction had been withdrawn. The elections are likely to be held in the last week of July or the first fortnight of August.

The commission has disqualified 1,403 candidates who contested the taluk and zilla panchayat elections in December 2005, for not complying with rules on submission of election expenditure. Although they have been disqualified from contesting elections for six years, the period of disqualification will not exceed three years under other provisions of the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act.