Karnataka elections: Bhalki Assembly constituency

Bhalki is a town and a taluk in Bidar district. It was also known as Bhallunke. The first mention of the town was made as ""Bhallunke"" in the vachanas of 12th-century sharanas. The sharana Kumbara Gundaiah was from Bhalki who was part of Bhakthi movement.

Bhalki fort is an important place of interest in the town. Located at the edge the old Bhalki town, it hosts a variety of buildings, including the Satyaniketan School, residences, Kumbheshwar (Ganesh) Temple, etc The Kumbheshwar temple is inside the fort. There are open wells inside the fort and a small pond outside it, though all of them have dried up. The Bidar district administration has proposed a plan to preserve and develop the fort, at a proposed cost of Rs.1.25 crores.

Bhalkeshwar Temple, Bhatambra Fort, Ram Temple are some of the famous temples and fort in this town. Rameshwara Tekadee, located on a hill (TekaDee - hill in Marathi) a couple of kilometres north-east of the new town centre, this is a historical fort-like structure offering a panoramic view of the surrounding plains. It also hosts a temple.

The Town Municipal Council Bhalki was constituted in 1953. The TMC has 23 wards and an equal number of councillors. As of 2011 census, Bhalki town has a population of 40,333. Males constitute 53 per cent of the population and females 47 per cent. Bhalki has a literacy rate of 80.34 per cent.

Eshwara Bhimanna Khandre current Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Municipalities and Local Bodies Department and Department of Public Enterprises. He is a two-term member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He represents the constituency from the Indian National Congress.

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