In the absence of a clear trend in favour of either the ruling Congress or the principal opposition BJP in the run-up to the Karnataka assembly elections, the third player, HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular), is hoping for a fractured mandate where it could emerge the kingmaker, like it did in 2004.
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, however, insists that his party will be the king, though he fails to convincingly explain how the magical figure of 113 seats in the 224-member assembly will be achieved. A recent survey by research agency Cfore has predicted that JD(S) tally will actually fall from the present 40 seats to 27.
Read the full story by M Gautham Machaiah here.
13:07 BJP to announced list of 108 candidates soon, Congress by April 14
BJP will be announcing its first list of 108 candidates for the Assembly polls soon. Congress, on the other hand is expected to release its list of all 224 candidates by April 14, according to News18.
09:35 Lingayat issue: MHA steers clear, says minority affairs ministry to take a call
The Ministry of Home Affairs today virtually washed its hands of the issue of granting religious minority status for the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat community in Karnataka saying the issue is beyond its jurisdiction and the Ministry of Minorities Affairs would look into it.
An MHA spokesperson also said a decision on the issue is not expected anytime soon as the model code of conduct has been in force in Karnataka, where Assembly election is due next month.
The ministry has received a communication from the Karnataka government recommending grant of religious minority status for the numerically strong community.
"However, the subjection is beyond the jurisdiction of the MHA and hence forwarded to the Ministry of the Minorities Affairs, which is the competent authority to take a decision on it," the spokesperson told reporters here.
Asked whether the MHA has given any opinion on the recommendation of the Karnataka government before forwarding it to the Ministry of the Minorities Affairs, the spokesperson said the question does not arise as it was not an issue to be examined by the MHA. (PTI)
07:40 Kannada outfits call for Karnataka bandh on April 12 over Cauvery row
Pro-Kannada outfits today called for a bandh in poll-bound Karnataka on April 12 in a counter to the ongoing stir in neighbouring Tamil Nadu for an early setting up of the Centre to form Cauvery Management Board (CMB).
The Karnataka bandh call came amid the DMK-led opposition parties observing a state-wide shutdown in Tamil Nadu on Monday, demanding early setting up of CMB to ensure water for farmers as per the Supreme Court orders.
Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam and other AIADMK leaders had also observed a day-long fast in Chennai on Monday seeking formation of CMB. (PTI)
16:06 Congress deploys cabinet ministers and party’s state-level working president to counter BJP’s claims
CM Siddaramaiah and party General Secretary KC Venugopal have deployed two cabinet ministers and the party state unit working president, in a bid to factually counter to claims on finances and politics by the BJP, according to a report by The Economic Times.
Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and state working president Dinesh Gundu Rao have been addressing press conferences and quickly responding to BJP’s claims.
14:22 A state-wide survey conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms and Daksh reveals that the much-hyped Indira Canteen Scheme - food joints opened in the cities of Karnataka to serve extremely economical (read: subsidised) food - has not been perceived by the public as intended.
The scheme was started following the success of Amma Canteen in Tamil Nadu. The Indira Canteens served over one crore meals within the first two-and-a-half month in Bengaluru.
Read the full data story here.
12:30 Congress to release 35 separate manifestos: M Veerappa Moily
Congress party will be issuing 35 separate manifestos for the assembly election. M Veerappa Moily, who is heading the drafting committee has said that the party was preparing manifestos for the 30 districts of Karnataka, one for the state’s four regions and one for the entire state, according to a report by Business Standard.
The manifestos will be released in mid-April, possibly by party president Rahul Gandhi and the CM Siddaramaiah.
M Veerappa Moily has served as the state's CM froom 1992 to 1994.
10:25 Siddaramaiah carrying lemon during campaign is "hypocrisy": BJP
BJP, on Wednesday accused Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of 'hypocrisy' for campaigning with a lemon in hand, but "antagonising" people by bringing in Anti-Superstitions Bill to "demean and criminalise" Hindu traditions.
"Campaigns with a lemon in hand, but brings in Anti-Superstitions Bill to demean and criminalise Hindu traditions. Hypocrisy thy name is @siddaramaiah," Karnataka BJP said in a tweet. BJP also posted a photograph showing Siddaramaiah campaigning with a lemon in hand.
The party also mocked Siddaramaiah by asking him to take classes from the "brilliant mathematician" and AICC convenor Priyanka Chaturvedi for claiming low attendance at Amit Shah's rallies in Karnataka. (PTI)
09:39 RSS men sitting in every ministry and giving orders, alleges Rahul Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today accused the Narendra Modi government of "disrespecting" and "demolishing" various institutions by having RSS men "sitting in every ministry and giving orders."
On the fifth lap of his tour of election-bound Karnataka, Gandhi said if voted to power, the Congress would free these institutions from the RSS control.
"I don't know if you all know that in every single minister's office, there is an RSS man sitting and giving orders. So what can you expect.... nothing but disrespecting the institutions. The banking system of the country has been demolished by having this structure," he said. (PTI)
08:31 Election Commission in Karnataka to review poll-preparedness
Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat, who is on a three-day visit to the poll-bound state, to check election-preparedness, released a booklet as part of voters' awareness drive yesterday.
Rawat was accompanied by two other election commissioners, Sunil Arora and Ashok Lavasa.
After releasing the booklet, the CEC held a meeting with state chief electoral officer Sanjiv Kumar and other senior officials. (PTI)
20:16 Modiji talks about employing the youth. It has been 4 years of his reign, and India is seeing the worst state of employment in the last 8 years: Rahul Gandhi during his address in Magadi.
15:06 Election officials search planes of Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah
The special aircraft of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and BJP national chief Amit Shah were today searched by officials after they landed at Hubballi airport in north Karnataka to campaign for their parties in the run-up to the May 12 assembly polls.
The exercise involving three district level officers was described by officials as being in line with the Election Commission's directive to ensure free and fair elections in Karnataka.
"It was a random search by a team led by (election) nodal officer Karpale. We searched the planes in which Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah had arrived. It was not intentional," Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad district S B Bommanahalli told PTI.
12:16 Rahul Gandhi interacts with traders in Davanagere
Interacting with traders in Davanagere, Rahul Gandhi said, “Modi Government gave us one of the most complicated GST in the world. Only Sudan & Pakistan have a GST system which is more complicated. We will fundamentally change the GST and simplify it when we come to power at the Centre in 2019.”
11:22 Nitish Kumar to visit Karnataka and campaign on April 12
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will visit the state on April 12 to campaign for his party Janata Dal (United)’s candidates, who will be contesting in about 30 constituencies.
"We will be contesting elections in between 24 to 30 seats in Karnataka on our own. Nitish ji will be visiting the state on April 12 to kick-start the campaign," JD (U) (Nitish Kumar faction) Karnataka Unit President Mahima Patel told reporters here.
Both factions of the JD (U) have not officially announced an alliance with the BJP, yet. (PTI)
09:00 Rahul Gandhi to meet 111-year-old seer, hold rally in Magadi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi is currently on his fifth round of campaigning in Karnataka. Today, the scion will be holding a ‘corner meeting’ in Holalkere at noon, followed by a meeting with 111-year-old Lingayat seer of Siddaganga Mutt Shivakumara Swamy, at around 14:30.
Gandhi will then address a public meeting at Magadi around 18:00.
08:27 Amit Shah calls Siddaramaiah government’s resolution on Veershaiva-Lingayat a ‘conspiracy’
BJP President Amit Shah said yesterday, ‘Many have expressed concern over Siddaramaiah government’s resolution on Veershaiva-Lingayat community. This is nothing but a conspiracy to mislead people before the elections and stopping BS Yeddyurappa from becoming the CM. We will not let this happen.
20:04 Amit Shah rejects Congress government’s demand in Karnataka to make Lingayat a separate religion. Shah said that there is no separate religion for Lingayats, and assured Veershaiva seers that there will be no division. Shah said that this is the commitment of the government.
19:27 Rahul Gandhi said, "It has been four years of PM Narendra Modi’s reign. He has never asked people anything. Everything is “Mere Mann ki baat”. Who will listen to the country’s “mann ki baat”?"
15:02 Yogendra Yadav’s Swaraj India party to field 6 candidates
Psephologist-turned-politicians Yogendra Yadav’s Swaraj India party has said that it will field six candidates in the Karnataka assembly polls.
The party also Tweeted-out the names and constituencies of the six candidates: Puttannaiah (Melukote constituency), Linge Gowda SH (Maddur), Vaijanath Patil (Yadir), P Ramesh Chander (Mahadevapura), KP Bhootaya (Challakere) and Shailendra (Hanur).
13:43 CM Siddaramaiah is now addressing the rally.
13:39 Rahul Gandhi said, “When PM Modi speaks about corruption in Karnataka, guess he doesn't see the stage properly. On his left side is Shri Yeddyurappa, who has been to jail and on his right side are several other ministers who were also in Jail.”
13:37 "PM Modi has written a book about how students can counter stress during exams. But, after all the hard work the students put in, the Modi government announced that the paper was leaked," Rahul Gandhi has said in Karnataka’s Shivamogga.
13:34 The amount of money Narendra Modi ji gives for development for Dalits and Adivasis across the country, is the amount of money Congress spends in Karnataka alone: Rahul Gandhi in Shivamogga.
13:31 ‘They (BJP) have destroyed the banking system. This is just the beginning,’ says Rahul Gandhi.
13:28 Rahul Gandhi takes a jibe at PM Modi, says, ‘On one hand paper leaks, on the other hand, Election Commission’s dates leak’.
13:23 Congress President Rahul Gandhi is addressing at rally at Shivamogga. CM Siddaramaiah is also present.
12:29 Rahul Gandhi to visit Siddaganga Mutt, meet 111-year-old Lingayat seer tomorrow
Rahul Gandhi will go to Holalkere in Chitradurga district on Wednesday. Holalkere is a Lingayat stronghold. The Congress president will then go to Tumkur, where he is expected to meet the 111-year-old seer of Siddaganga Mutt Shivakumara Swamy, a revered Lingayat pontiff.
11:11 Act against Shah, Yeddyurappa for violating model code of conduct: Congress to EC
On Monday, Congress approached the EC demanding action against BJP president Amit Shah and the party's Karnataka unit chief BS Yeddyurappa for allegedly violating the model code of conduct in the state by offering Rs 5 lakh to the family of a deceased person.
The opposition party has also asked the EC to conduct a time-bound probe into the matter.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi identified the deceased person as "Mr Raju". The deceased was a BJP activist, killed in Mysuru in March 2016.
Singhvi raised questions over the timing of the aid allegedly offered when Shah, Union minister Ananth Kumar and Yeddyurappa visited Raju's family last Friday, three days after the EC announced the Karnataka Assembly polls schedule.
The Congress submitted a memorandum to the EC, accusing the BJP of using money to influence votes in Karnataka, and said the ruling party at the Centre resorted to the "desperate measure, foreseeing its inevitable defeat” in the May 12 Assembly polls. The BJP however has said Shah did not give any money to Raju's family. (PTI)
10:29 BJP president Amit Shah to attend two events today in Kaginele and Bagalkot
Shah will be speaking at an OBC Convention in Kaginele around 3:30 pm and will be having an interaction at Shivayogi Mandira at Badami, Bagalkot at around 6:00 pm.
09:15 R Roshan Baig, Naseer Ahmed, Nasir Hussain and Suraj Hegde and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson met Chief Election Officer (CEO) of Karnataka and filed a memorandum on 18 lakh missing voters, according to the party’s Shivajinagar unit Twitter handle.
08:37 Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Shivamogga and Davangere
Congress President Rahul Gandhi will take up campaigning in the state. Gandhi will be visiting Shivamogga and Davangere and is expected to address public meetings there at 12:35 pm and 05:45 pm respectively, according to the Congress.
08:34 Good morning! This live blog will keep track of the latest political developments in the poll-bound state of Karnataka, through the day. The southern state is heading for assembly polls of May 12. The result will be declared on May 15.
22:28 Congress President Rahul Gandhi will visit Karnataka on the 3rd and the 4th April. He looks to tour the districts of Shivamogga, Davangere, Chitradurga, Tumkuru and Ramanagara. These are places that are covered by BJP President Amit Shah.
19:54 The EC has decided to launch a special drive on April 8 at all polling stations in the state aimed at providing opportunity for women, people with disabilities, primitive tribes and all weaker sections of the society.
19:43 The Election Commission (EC) has put 1156 Flying Squads and 1255 Static Surveillance Teams in place to ensure the Model Code of Conduct for the Karnataka polls.Also the sqauds seized Rs 8,56,850/, 550 sarees, 38 sewing machines, 96 cookers, 5 vehicles. Overall the EC squads took Rs 1,21,47,570 cash, 139 litres of liquor, 568 sarees, 2 kg 464 gms of gold worth Rs 49,17,000, 160 laptops and 8 vehicles.
15:38 People have made up their minds to throw out Siddaramaiah government: Amit Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday claimed that the people of Karnataka have made up their minds to "throw out" the Siddaramaiah-led government in the Assembly polls, as they were "disappointed" with it on several fronts, especially corruption.
Shah, who was on a tour of Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagara districts, said that his party would put up a good show during the polls in the old Mysuru region.
12:35 Siddaramaiah to contest from Chamundeshwari, where his political journey began
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Chamundeshwari assembly constituency. Siddaramaiah is currently elected from the Varuna seat.
The chief minister has however represented the Chamundeshwari constituency five times before and campaigned there recently to ‘reconnect with the people,’ according to a news report.
According to reports, Siddaramaiah has taken the step to allow his son Dr Yathindra to contest from Varuna seat.
No Karnataka chief minister has been re-elected to office since Janata Party’s Ramakrishna Hedge in 1985.
12:45 Shiv Sena to go solo in Karnataka Assembly polls
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s NDA ally Shiv Sena has said that it will contest around 60 seats against it’s the BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka. The announcement was made by party MP Sanjay Raut.
In the past, the Sena had fielded its candidates against the BJP during elections in Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat (last year).
"Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had already announced that our party is going to contest elections independently and as a part of it, we have decided to go solo in Karnataka as well. We will contest around 50-60 seats but will support the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which represents the Marathi people living in disputed areas between Maharashtra and Karnataka," he said, according to PTI.
11:42 BJP brings out 'charge sheet' against Congress government
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday brought out a 'charge sheet' against the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka in three booklets, listing its alleged failures on law and order, agriculture and ignoring capital Bengaluru.
The BJP claimed that the crime had increased by three-fold in the state and the atrocities were being committed on Dalits, women and children. The saffron party also claimed that there were increasing attacks on honest officials and killings of Hindutva activists.
BJP also listed steep rise in farmers' suicides in the last three years, drug mafia ruling the roost in the states capital and poor infrastructure in the city, in the ‘charge sheet’.
11:42 Good morning! This live blog will track the latest developments from the state of Karnataka which will be heading for the crucial Assembly polls on May 12. The counting of votes and the result announcement will happen on May 15.
This blog will campaign latest political developments in the state keep an eye on the campaigns.
