By IANS
New Delhi : Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy and the two election commissioners will visit Karnataka March 4 to decide the schedule for the assembly elections with newly delimited constituencies.
Election Commission sources said the delimitation of constituencies in Karnataka was nearing completion.
The EC will hold a meeting in Bangalore with the state government officials, including the district magistrates, to review the status of the delimitation exercise and decide a feasible date for the elections.
President Pratibha Patil approved the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission report last week and issued a notification. All elections announced after this notification will be held as per the recommendations, except in those states that have been exempted in the report.
Karnataka has been under the president’s rule since Oct 9, 2007.
As per Article 356 of the constitution, polls should be held within six months from the imposition of the president’s rule. However, the central rule can be extended under extra-ordinary circumstances.
The poll panel sources said it might need another four months to complete the delimitation exercise all over the country.
The March 4 meeting in Bangalore will keep in mind the feasibility of holding elections under the new law while deciding the date.
The Election Commission officials will be in Karnataka for a couple of days to understand the ground situation and then take a final decision, the sources said.