Bengaluru : The State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Tuesday that elections to 5,844 gram panchayats (GPs) in the State will be held in two phases on May 29 and June 2.

Counting of votes will take place simultaneously at taluk headquarters across the state on June 5.

The state government has made voting compulsory recently by amending the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act.

While the amended law has received the assent of the Governor, the government has said there will be no penalty on those who violate the compulsory voting clause.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, SEC Commissioner P N Srinivasachari said the model code of conduct will come into force from 8 am on May 10 and end on June 7.

The code will be applicable only in gram, taluk and zila panchayat limits across the state.

The code will not be in place in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including in the State capital—Bengaluru City.

Elections will be held on a non-party basis and a total of 94,458 GP members will be elected by an electorate of 2.81 crore during the two phases of polling. Fifty per cent of the seats are reserved for women.

Polling will not be held in 229 GPs as their tenure will end after August 2015, said Srinivasachari.

During the first phase, on May 29, polling will be held in 15 districts—Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Chamarajnagara, Udupi, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Haveri, Bagalkote, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Gadag.

During the second phase, on June 2, polling will be held in the remaining 15 districts—Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Bidar, Ballari, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur and Koppala.

For the first time, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used in GPs falling under the jurisdiction of Bidar district.

As many 9.5 lakh voters across 1,150 polling stations in the district can exercise the franchise through EVMs. Ballot papers will be used in all the other districts.
As many as 1.93 lakh polling officials will be involved in the electoral process, and the total cost to the exchequer will be Rs 66 crore.

Srinivasachari said deputy commissioners will launch campaigns across the state to convey that voting is compulsory in the panchayat polls.

While GP elections are not fought on party symbols, the polls are crucial for all political parties as they become the foundation for fighting the taluk and zilla panchayat elections, which will be held next year.