Bengaluru, March 24 The Budget session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has been shortened by a day, concluding on March 26, reportedly due to upcoming by-elections for two Assembly seats in the state.
The state legislature's Budget session, which began on March 6, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presenting the Budget for 2026-27, was originally scheduled to conclude on March 27.
Speaker U T Khader announced this in the House on Tuesday, following a meeting of the Legislative Assembly's Business Advisory Committee (BAC).
"According to the decision of the BAC, discussions on the Budget and demands will conclude today (March 24). The CM will respond to these discussions on March 26, after which the Appropriation Bill will be taken up for discussion and passage. After completing business on March 26, the House will be adjourned sine die," he said.
Although the Speaker did not mention why the session was shortened, official sources said it was done with the upcoming by-elections in mind, as leaders, ministers, and legislators would participate in campaigning.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka and Labour Minister Santosh Lad indicated on Monday that the session might be shortened due to the by-elections.
Two Assembly seats in the state – Bagalkot and Davangere South – will go to bypolls on April 9.
The by-elections for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies were necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.