Election Commission of Karnataka

About Election Commission of Karnataka

Democracy means a system where the government is formed by the people, of the people and for the people. The basic framework of a democratic nation necessitates the conduct of an absolutely free and fair electoral process that reflects the opinion of the nation's masses. This makes it mandatory to form a freely established federal body that can ensure elections which are not short of credibility. Under the provisions of the Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992 and the Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992, the State Election Commissions and the State Election Commissioners are entrusted with supervising the preparation of the electoral rolls for the groundwork and conduct of the elections to Panchayats and Municipalities.

The State election commission of Karnataka is empowered to conduct electoral processes within the state of Karnataka. The State Election Commission is a sole member Commission overseen by the State Election Commissioner. There is a Secretary, who is also delegated as the Chief Electoral Officer for the State.

The presence of this body makes sure that the electoral procedures are all carried out without any biases to ensure the credibility of the nation's democratic framework.

History & its formation

The Karnataka State Election Commission came into existence on 25th May, 1993 as a constitutional authority with the promulgation of the 73rd and 74th amendment in the Constitution of India in order to conduct elections in the urban and rural local bodies. The Karnataka State Election Commission which is an independent organization, conducts elections related to three types of rural local bodies i.e., Grama Panchayats, Taluka Panchayats and Zilla Panchayats and four types of Urban Local Bodies i.e., Municipal Corporations, City Municipal Councils, Town Municipal Councils and Town Panchayats. The State Election Commission has also been bestowed with powers to superintend and control the elections to the local bodies under the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act 1993, the Karnataka Municipalities Act 1964 and the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act 1976. The State Election Commission is furthermore empowered under the Karnataka local authorities (prohibition of defection) act 1987 to conducting enquiries and pass orders on merit concerning complaints received against taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat members. The State Election Commission is empowered to declare the seats under its discretionary electoral authority as vacant if the members fail to comply with the constitutional rules.

Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka

The Chief electoral officer of Karnataka state election commission is Mr. Sanjiv Kumar.

Officers Appointed by Election Commission of Karnataka

The State election commission consists of many officers who are entrusted to conduct the duties of the state election commission with diligence. The officers currently holding posts in Karnataka State election commission are as follows:

• Chief Electoral Officer - Sanjiv Kumar
• Additional Chief Electoral Officer - Ramesh K N (Incharge)
• Deputy Chief Electoral Officer - Raghavendra V
• Office of The Chief Electoral Officer,

Nirvachana Nilaya,
Maharani's College Circle,
Sheshadri Road, Bangalore- 560001
Website: www.ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in
Fax: 080-22234039
Phone: 1950 (Toll-free), 080-22242042