The Chief Electoral Office in Karnataka has been directed to gear up for the state elections, which are scheduled to be held in the third week of May. In a faxed message, the Election Commission of India has directed the Chief Electoral Officer to procure Electronic Voting Machines in order to conduct the elections.

The exact dates for the polls would be fixed only in the first week of April after holding consultations with the Home Department.

The message from the ECI also directs the electoral office in Karnataka to create awareness about the use of the EVMs. The ECI has also sought the help of a panel of experts to help conduct the elections in Karnataka.

While both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal - Secular in Karnataka have welcomed the move to conduct an early election, the Congress still maintains that the voters' list should be cleaned up.

Mallikarjuna Kharge, president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, welcomed the decision to conduct early polls but added that the 50 lakh-odd bogus voters in the rolls should be removed before the polls are held