Karnataka polls: SC blocks Janardhana Reddy's campaign in Ballari; updates

Days before the Karnataka Assembly election 2018, Prime Minister Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi are repeatedly crossing swords. Catch the Karnataka election campaign updates here

 

Karnataka Assembly election 2018 has seen vigorous campaigning by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi crossing swords over a plethora of issues, including corruption. While Modi said the Karnataka government was a "gold medallist" in corruption and that Congress leaders were "drunk on power", Gandhi hit right back accusing the BJP of corruption in Rafale fighter jet deal and protecting fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. The BJP on Friday released its manifesto for the May 12 polls, promising a plethora of programmes and initiatives for the state's farmers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also in the poll-bound state, where he took a swipe at the Siddaramaiah government, accusing it of carrying out divisive and corrupt politics. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit back on Twitter, flaying Adityanath for being in his state for electioneering when 64 people had lost their lives due to a dust storm in Uttar Pradesh.

Further, after the BJP complained to the Election Commission (EC) over what it alleged was the Congress' attempt at playing the "communal card" in the poll-bound state to woo Muslim voters, the Congress on Thursday complained to the EC against the BJP's Karnataka unit for "getting published false and misleading advertisements" in newspapers to malign the public image of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah.

Voting in the Karnataka Assembly polls will be held on May 12, 2018, in all 224 constituencies of the state Legislative Assembly. The counting of votes and announcement of results will take place on May 15, 2018.

Here are the top developments in the BJP and Congress' Karnataka Assembly election 2018 campaign:

1) SC bars BJP’s Janardhana Reddy from campaigning in Ballari: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed BJP leader G Janardhana Reddy's plea to be allowed to go to Ballari and campaign for his brother, who is a candidate in the Karnataka Assembly election, according to news agencies. The apex court said it did not find any merit in the plea.

2) BJP releases Karnataka polls manifesto: BJP chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday launched the party's manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 in Bengaluru.

Read Full Story: Karnataka Election 2018

Karnataka polls: Modi gets fact on Army wrong; Yogi rally today; updates

Days before the Karnataka Assembly election 2018, Prime Minister Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi are repeatedly crossing swords. Catch the Karnataka election campaign updates here

 

Karnataka Assembly election 2018 has seen vigorous campaigning by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi crossing swords over a plethora of issues, including corruption. While Modi said the Karnataka government was a "gold medalist" in corruption and that Congress leaders were "drunk on power", Gandhi hit right back accusing the BJP of corruption in Rafale fighter jet deal and protecting fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. The prime minister will on Friday interact with the office-bearers and workers of the BJP's Karnataka women's wing through the NaMo App.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also in the poll-bound state, where he took a swipe at the Siddaramaiah government, accusing it of carrying out divisive and corrupt politics. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit back on Twitter, flaying Adityanath for being in his state for electioneering when 64 people had lost their lives due to a dust storm in Uttar Pradesh.

Further, after the BJP complained to the Election Commission (EC) over what it alleged was the Congress' attempt at playing the "communal card" in the poll-bound state to woo Muslim voters, the Congress on Thursday complained to the EC against the BJP's Karnataka unit for "getting published false and misleading advertisements" in newspapers to malign the public image of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah.

Voting in the Karnataka Assembly polls will be held on May 12, 2018, in all 224 constituencies of the state Legislative Assembly. The counting of votes and announcement of results will take place on May 15, 2018.

Here are the top developments in the BJP and Congress' Karnataka Assembly election 2018 campaign:

1) Modi holding interaction with BJP's Karnataka women's wing today: Prime Minister Modi on Friday will interact with the office-bearers and workers of the BJP's Karnataka women's wing through the NaMo App. Modi will talk about the initiatives taken by his government for woman empowerment. During the interaction, Modi will also answer questions of the workers of the party's women wing. "Narendra Modi will directly interact with the office bearers and karyakartas of Karnataka's BJP Mahila Morcha through Namo App via video bridge, at 9 am," the BJP said in a statement.

2) Modi to hold 15 more rallies in Karnataka: Modi is on a rally blitzkrieg in Karnataka, as he looks to oust the Congress from power in the high-stakes poll. In total, the Prime Minister was scheduled to address 21 rallies in Karnataka. Of these, six rallies, including Thursday's three in Kalaburagi, Ballari, and Bengaluru, have already been held. This still leaves Modi with 15 more rallies to go in the state.

Read our detailed copy on how Modi crossed swords with Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah on May 3: Karnataka polls: Modi chides Cong; Siddaramaiah reminds him of 'Reddy gang'

3) Second day of Rahul Gandhi's 8th Karnataka visit of the year today: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday commenced his eighth visit to Karnataka this year. During the first day of his two-day visit on Thursday, Gandhi was in the Bidar district, where he held corner meetings in Aurad, Bhalki, and Humnabad. Gandhi will again visit the state from May 7 to May 10.

Read Full Story : Karnataka Assembly election 2018

Karnataka election: Yeddyurappa to fight from Shikaripura; top developments

BJP released its first list of 72 candidates who will contest in the Karnataka Assembly elections May 12, to be held on May 12. Yeddyurappa will contest from Shikaripura, not Shimoga

The BJP on Sunday released its first list of 72 candidates to contest in the Karnataka assembly elections 2018, to be held May 12 for the 224 seats across the southern state. "The central election committee of the party has decided the first 72 names for the ensuing Karnataka legislative Assembly elections," said the BJP in a statement released by its state unit. The committee met under the party's national president Amit Shah. Other members of the committe, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also attended the meet at the party's head office in New Delhi.

Among the candidates are many of the party's 48 sitting or outgoing legislators from the state's northern, central and southern regions, including Bengaluru, which has 28 Assembly constituencies. Prominent nominees are the party's chief ministerial face B S Yeddyurappa from Shikaripura, K S Eshwarappa from Shivamogga, Jagadish Shettar from Hubli-Dharwad Central, Basavaraj Bommai from Shiggaon, C.M. Udasi from Hangal, K.V. Hegde from Sirsi and B. Sriramulu from Molakalmuru (reserved).

For Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s CM candidate, this is a do-or-die election as it will be seen as a prelude to the 2019 general elections as far as South India goes. For the Congress, on the other hand, this is an election for survival. Karnataka is one of the few states in India where they still hold power – and the party will be looking to retain the state.

Top 10 developments on Karnataka Elections 2018 and BJP campaigns

1. BS Yeddyurappa to contest from Shikaripura: State BJP President and the party's CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa will contest from Shikaripura. B Sriramulu, the party MP from Ballari district will contest the Assembly polls and will be the party's candidate from Molakalmuru in Chitradurga district. BS Yeddyurappa's rival within the party, and former party President K S Eashwarappa will contest from Shimoga.

2. Only three women figure among the 72 contestants: Sashikala Jolle from Nippani Assembly segment in the state's north-west region, Roopali Naik from Karwar in the coastal area and Poornima Srinivas from Hiriyur in the central part are the only female candidates among the 72 whose names have bee announced.

Jolle is re-contesting from the same seat, while Naik is a former civic corporator from Bengaluru and Srinivas is the party's women's wing secretary.

3. 'Rahul, Sonia will lose their LS seats in 2019': "Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will lose their respective constituencies due to people's growing 'disappointment' with them," BJP said on Sunday. BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni said Rahul Gandhi should not worry about Modi and rather be concerned about his and Sonia Gandhi's electoral fate in 2019.

"In the kind of circumstances prevailing today, both Rahul and his mother Sonia Gandhi will lose from their seats, Amethi and Raebareli, respectively. They have done nothing in their constituencies and the people's disappointment with them is growing," he said.

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