Karnataka election: Campaigning ends today; voter ID row continues; updates

With Karnataka Assembly election 2018 now on their heads, the BJP and Congress have just one more day to convince and woo voters. Catch all the updates around the Karnataka election here

Karnataka Assembly election 2018 just two days away, the BJP and Congress' high-voltage campaigning will come to an end on Thursday at 5 pm. Eyeing to sweep the crucial polls, the political parties will hold multiple rallies today in their last attempt to woo the voter. For the BJP, party president Amit Shah and the party's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa will be campaigning in the state today, while Congress President Rahul Gandhi and incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will campaign for their party on the final day.

Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Gandhi, the Karnataka election campaign has also seen political heavyweights Sonia Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaign for their respective parties.

The last day of campaigning for the Karnataka polls comes after Prime Minister Modi and Congress chief Gandhi were face-to-face in the state on the second last day for the campaigning. Working seriously on his 'Congress Mukt Bharat' mission, Modi used all of his oratory skills to lambast the Congress in his four election rallies on Wednesday. On the other hand, Gandhi said in his Basavanagudi rally that the people of Karnataka would reject Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. The Congress president also attacked the Prime Minister for being silent on the issue of alleged Dalit atrocities.

The election in Karnataka will be held on May 12 in 223 constituencies, out of the 224 constituencies of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while the counting of votes and announcement of result will take place on May 15. The election for one constituency has been postponed following the death of B N Vijay Kumar, the Jayanagar BJP candidate.

Here are the top ten developments regarding the May 12 Karnataka Assembly election 2018:

1) Last day of Karnataka polls campaigning today: The high-voltage campaigning for the crucial Karnataka Assembly polls will come to an end on Thursday at 5 pm. The campaign has seen Modi, Shah, Adityanath, Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders square off against Congress chief Gandhi, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and Siddaramaiah, with both parties going hammer and tongs at each other over who has neglected farmers more and who has more corrupt candidates in the fray, among other topics of contention.

2) Amit Shah, Yeddyurappa roadshow today in Siddaramaiah's constituency: From the BJP, Amit Shah and Yeddyurappa on Thursday will participate in a roadshow in chief minister Siddaramaiah's Badami constituency. The roadshow will commence at 11.30 am from Basaveshwara circle to Ambedkar circle.

READ MORE : KARNATAKA POLLS

Karnataka polls: This will be my last election, says Siddaramaiah

With the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 days away, BJP and Congress are running fierce campaigns. Catch today's latest Karnataka election campaign updates here

 

Karnataka Assembly election 2018:  draws closer, top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress leaders are holding back-to-back rallies in the state to boost their respective parties' chances of securing a win in the crucial election. The Karnataka Election Watch and Delhi-based Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Monday analysed affidavits of Karnataka polls candidates, filed with the Election Commission (EC). Of the 2,654 candidates in the fray for the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections, at least 883 are crorepatis and 645 have criminal cases against them, said the two watchdogs.

"The average assets of the 883 (35 per cent) crorepati candidates are worth Rs 75.4 million. Of the 645 contestants, 254 (10 per cent) face serious criminal cases and 391 (15 per cent) face criminal cases," revealed the study. Affidavits of all the contesting 223 BJP candidates were analysed. Two hundred and eight (93 per cent) of the 223 candidates in fray from the BJP have declared assets worth over Rs 10 million. Of the 2,654 candidates in the fray for the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections, at least 883 are crorepatis and 645 have criminal cases against them - the highest number among all the parties contesting.

A total of 207 (94 per cent) of the 220 candidates from the ruling Congress, 154 (77 per cent) of the 199 candidates from Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and 199 (18 per cent) of the 1,090 Independents have declared assets more than Rs 10 million. The BJP candidates were found to be with the highest number of criminal cases against them, with 83 (37 per cent) of the 223 candidates in fray having criminal cases against them and 58 others (26 per cent) having serious criminal cases against them including murder.

Of the 220 candidates analysed from the ruling Congress, a total of 59 (27 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits, while 32 (15 per cent) have serious criminal cases against them. Of the 199 JD-S candidates analysed by the study, 41 (21 per cent) have criminal cases, and 29 (15 per cent) have declared serious criminal cases in their poll affidavits. Of the total 1,090 Independents analysed, 108 (10 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves, and 70 (6 per cent) are accused of serious criminal charges.in Chitradurga, Raichur, Jamakhandi, and Hubli.

Karnataka will go to the polls on May 12 to elect its representatives for the 224-member Assembly. The results will be out on May 15.

Here are the top 10 developments in the Karnataka Election 2018 campaign by Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi:

1. Won't contest election after this, says Siddaramaiah: The upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka will be the last one I will contest, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told NDTV. "I said it on the floor of the house once that I will not contest again but the high command directed me to contest in this election because I have been there for five years as Chief Minister and I was told to take responsibility," Siddaramaiah said while on the campaign trail in Chamundeshwari, one of the two seats he is contesting this time.

2. PM is always on 'airplane mode' and never on 'work mode': Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the latter is either on airplane or speaker mode, but never on work mode.

The Congress chief made the while campaigning in Bengaluru Rural ahead of crucial Karnataka polls.

"There are three modes in a mobile phone, work mode, speaker mode and airplane mode. Modi Ji only uses speaker mode and airplane mode, he never uses work mode," Gandhi said, reported ANI.

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Modi trashes Karnataka election opinion polls, says BJP will win; updates

With the Karnataka Assembly Election 2018 days away, Modi has launched BJP's campaign in the state with 15 scheduled rallies; Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says he is not perturbed by the blitzkrieg

 

Karnataka election: Confident of a BJP victory in Karnataka too, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ruled out a hung Assembly after the May 12 elections. "There is no way there will be a hung Assembly as is being predicted. We are confident of coming to power in Karnataka too," said Modi at a huge public meeting in Karnataka's northwest region, about 500 km from Bengaluru. Recalling that the Congress had lost nearly 12 states that it was ruling, Modi told the gathering that as that party feared a loss in the ensuing polls, its leaders were spreading lies and fear among the people about a hung Assembly. Opinion polls by various agencies have projected a hung Assembly for the southern state with the ruling Congress or the opposition BJP having an edge in the 225-member legislative house, including one nominated.'

"I appeal to you all to vote for a party with full majority. That is when you can hold the government responsible," Modi said. Urging voters to bring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power under the leadership of its chief ministerial nominee B.S. Yeddyurappa, Modi said his party was ready to answer for its every action and be accountable to the people. Yeddyurappa, 75, was the party's maiden Chief Minister in the state and south India when it was elected to power for the first time in May 2008, but lost to the Congress in the May 2013 Assembly elections after he split the BJP and formed the Karnataka Janata Party, leading to a division of votes.

The state's veteran politician of the dominant Lingayat community, however, returned to the BJP in 2014 and contested in the 2014 general elections, winning from the Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency in the Malnad region.

Accusing the Congress government in the state of shielding sand mafias, Modi said those who loot cannot be accepted to remain in power. They must go," he reiterated. "The Congress promotes intolerance and violence. There can be nothing worse than attack on the Lokayukta," charged Modi alluding to the knife attack on the state's anti-graft watchdog in Bengaluru on March 7. Modi also accused the Congress of disrespecting former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, which was not acceptable. "If such is the mindset, how can they think good for the people of Karnataka," wondered Modi, as the grand old party had also never respected Babasaheb Ambedkar or accepted his views.

Karnataka is slated to witness a three-corner contest, involving the ruling Congress, the BJP and the H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S). The result of the election will be announced on May 15.

Here are the top 10 developments around Karnataka Assembly Election 2018 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign in the state starting today:

1) Modi urges people in Karnataka to disband Congress: "I urge people of Karnataka to fulfil Mahatma Gandhiji's wish of disbanding the Congress party. You should grab this (May 12 state elections) opportunity," Modi said in Belagavi district's Chikodi town on Tuesday. He said the "power hungry" Congress is on the backfoot in the state and is spreading lies to win the elections.

"Congress cannot live without power. The Congressfears that they will lose in elections and that is why they are spreading lies, dividing people on the grounds of caste and creating the atmosphere of fear," Modi said.

2) Modi says Congress has initiated culture of 'ease of doing murder': Modi assailed the Congress government in Karnataka for initiating the culture of "ease of doing murder", as he launched the second leg of his campaign blitz in the state for the Assembly elections. He also accused the successive Congress governments at the Centre of allowing a handful of people to "loot" banks while denying loans to poor.

3) Siddaramaiah hits back at Modi for his '2+1 formula' jibe: Attacking Modi over BJP fielding brothers of tainted mining baron G Janrdhan Reddy in the assembly elections, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said "2 Reddys + 1 Yeddy was Modi's formula to win election." "Today PM avoided talking about his complicity in"closing CBI cases against the Reddy bros. Instead he spoke"about some 2+1 formula. Here is the explanation to his formula "to win election. 2 Reddys + 1 Yeddy. #2Reddy1Yeddy""he said in another tweet.

'Yeddy' is a reference to BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa.

4) Modi says Congress blocked development in Karnataka: At the rally in Santhemarahalli village, Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday lamented that all development in Karnataka had been "blocked" by the ruling Congress due to its obsession with family politics. "Where there is Congress, all roads that lead to development are blocked. There is only family politics, corruption and lack of harmony," said Modi.

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