EC to announce schedule for Karnataka assembly election at 11.30am today

The Election Commission will announce the dates for 2023 Karnataka assembly election at 11.30am today. There are 224 seats in the Karnataka assembly. There are 5.21 crore voters including 2.59 women voters. The number also includes 16,976 centenarians, 4,699 third gender and 9.17 lakh first time voters. Quoting Lingayat sect founder Basaveshwara and extolling his government's development agenda, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has said he will return to power again after the assembly election, which is due by May.

Addressing a public gathering at Hungund in northern Karnataka's Bagalkote district here on Tuesday night, the chief minister said he has performed sincerely to offer social justice to every section of the society, which resulted in increase in the annual per capita income by Rs 1 lakh in the last four years. "I will come back as chief minister again. God has given me an opportunity to serve Mother Karnataka. I have done sincere work," Bommai said during an election rally. The CM said he is treading on the path of "work is worship" and social equality, as advocated by 12th Century social reformer and founder of Lingayat sect Basaveshwara. "I tried to give social justice to every section of the society. People had asked for corporations of various communities for their overall development. We are treading on the path shown by Basaveshwara," Bommai said.