BENGALURU: Polling for 105 Urban Local Bodies across 21 districts will be held on Friday. Polling between 7am and 5pm will seal the fate of the three major parties - BJP, Congress and JD(S) - in the first electoral big fight post assembly elections. In all, 8,340 candidates are in the fray in 2,529 wards of town municipal councils and town panchayats while 814 candidates are contesting in 135 wards of three city municipal corporations of Mysuru, Tumakuru and Shivamogga.
Despite talks of forging an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections, Congress and JD(S) are fighting it out as rivals in the ULB polls.
The results of the polls to all 105 ULBs are scheduled to be announced on September 3. Polls to other ULBs across the state are likely to be held in November.
As many as 814 candidates are in the fray to be elected to 135 wards in three CMCs, of which BJP, Congress and JD(S) have 130, 135 and 129 candidates respectively.
There are also 350 independents contesting. A JD(S)-BJP coalition was in power in Mysuru and Shivamogga CMCs while a JD(S)-Congress coalition was in power in Tumakuru before being dissolved following notification for the polls.
For the first time, NOTA (none of the above) option is being introduced in the ULB polls in Karnataka. EVMs will be used for the polling. Arrangements have been made to use 4,640 ballet units and 4,940 control units. Ward 19 in Kalaburagi district's Afzalpur town council has no candidates in the fray.