The Karnataka Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of Karnataka state in southernIndia. Karnataka is one of the six states in India, where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses. The two houses are the Vidhan Sabha and the Vidhan Parishad. The members of the Vidhana Sabha are directly elected by people through adult franchise. There are 224 members of the Vidhana Sabha or the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka state. The state of Karnataka is divided into 224 constituencies used to elect the Legislative assembly members. Each constituency elects one member of the assembly. Members are popularly known as MLAs. The assembly is elected using the simple plurality or "first past the post" electoral system. The elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India. The normal term of the members lasts for five years. In case of death, resignation or disqualification of a member, a by-election is conducted for constituency represented by the member. The party, or coalition which has the majority becomes the ruling party.
At 11:00 am on 18 June 1952, Wednesday, the first session of the legislative assembly was held at the old public office buildingconference hall in Bangalore. On 16 December 1949 the maharaja of Mysore dissolved the representative assembly and the legislative assembly. The constituent assembly which was constituted in 1947 became the provisional assembly of Mysore until the elections were held in 1952. The first assembly formed under the Constitution had 99 elected and one nominated member. In the first sitting of the state assembly, V. Venkatappa was the honorary speaker who administered oath to the members including the then Chief Minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah. He conducted election to the post of speaker, which was contested by socialist leader Shantaveri Gopalagowda, and H. Siddaiah, where H. Siddaiah secured 74 votes and emerged victorious and the first CM of Karnataka state Kengal Hanumanthaiah delivered the speech. With the formation of Andhra state in 1953, parts of Bellary district from Madras State were added to Mysore state and the strength of the Assembly increased by five members. After the re-organisation of state of Mysore came into being on 1 November 1956 with four districts from the former Bombay state, three districts of Hyderabad state, a district and a taluk of the old Madras state of Coorg and the princely state of Mysore. The state was renamed as Karnataka in 1973. The first sitting of the new assembly was held on 19 December 1956 in the newly built Vidhana Soudha. The strength of the assembly, which was 208 in 1957 increased to 216 in 1967 and to 224 plus a nominated member in 1978. The lone women Speaker of Karnataka assembly was K. S. Nagaratnamma from 24 March 1972 to 3 March 1978. The Budget Session and The Monsoon Session of the Legislature are held in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru. The Winter Session of the Legislature is held in Suvarna Soudha, Belagavi.
