Bengaluru, (DHNS): Elections to the Mysuru, Tumakuru and Shivamogga city corporations will be held on August 31, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Thursday. The SEC has already announced that polling for 105 other urban local bodies (ULBs) will be held on August 29. The model code of conduct in Mysuru, Tumakuru and Shivamogga cities will come into effect immediately and will be in force till the election process ends on September 3. There are a total of 13.33 lakh voters in the three cities, which together have 135 wards. A formal notification for the polls will be issued on August 13 and the last date for filing nominations is August 20. The last date to withdraw the nomination is August 23. Polling will be held on August 31 from 7 am to 5 pm in 1,284 polling stations. Votes will be counted on September 3.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the polls, the SEC said in a release. Elections to the Mysuru City Corporation, Tumakuru City Municipal Council and Shivamogga City Municipal Council were held in 2013. Later, the state government upgraded Tumakuru and Shivamogga as city corporations. The term of the elected bodies in Mysuru, Tumakuru and Shivamogga will end on September 4, September 16 and November 12, respectively. Alliance partners in the state government, the Congress and the JD(S) have decided to fight each other in the ULB polls. However, both the parties have asked local leaders to take a call on forging an alliance if necessary.