Karnataka Polls 2018 Dates: Election Commission announced dates and guidelines ahead of the elections
The Election Commission has announced the dates for
Karnataka assembly elections. Elections will be held in a single phase on May 12 and the results will be announced on May 15. The announcement of election dates spawned a controversy as the BJP IT Cell head tweeted the dates before the official announcement. The Election Commission said they "will look into leaks" on dates. The state has been in the spotlight where the ruling Congress hopes to retain power and resist the
BJP's aggressive campaign. While the Karnataka elections are critical for the Congress that has been wiped out from most major states it used to rule, they are also important for the BJP to make in-roads into south India - a region that has proved
difficult for it to foray into. The state has seen
bitter campaigning ahead of Karnataka elections, by both the parities with
allegations of communal and political murders and
tit-for-tat charges of large-scale corruption. Leaders from both parties including
PM Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and BJP's Amit Shah visited the state multiple times over the past few months. The JD(S), led by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, is the third player in the fray. The
ongoing term for the Karnataka assembly, which has 224 seats, expires on May 28.
Here are the highlights of Election Commission's briefing on Karnataka election dates:
The Bellwether Seat In Karnataka That Picked The Winner For Last 12 ElectionsOne assembly seat in Karnataka has managed to remain the bellwether seat for a dozen elections -- assembly and Lok Sabha -- and is the most watched seat in the state. Shirahatti, named after a panchayat town in central Karnataka's Gadag district -- has managed to vote for the winning party in the state and centre. Its streak has continued for seven assembly and five Lok Sabha elections.
Read: How Assembly Elections In Karnataka Can Play Out, In NumbersThe assembly election in Karnataka, due on May 12, is seen as a high stakes battle between Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is going all out to win back the first southern state the party had ruled. Opinion polls, however, have not given a clear majority to either party and increasingly, it appears that Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular) may have the power to decide the outcome.
Rahul Gandhi releases the Congress manifesto for Karnataka in Mangaluru.
After Flight Scare, Team Rahul Gandhi Alleges "Intentional Tampering"Congress president Rahul Gandhi and four passengers on a chartered flight from Delhi to Karnataka got a major scare on Thursday after the aircraft reportedly developed "multiple faults", triggering a complaint to seek a probe to determine if there was any "intentional tampering" of the aircraft.
Veteran JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister HD Deve Gowda: Karnataka suffered badly under BJP rule, they had three chief ministers in 5 years.This is BJP's contribution. In 5 years of Congress rule though there was only one Chief Minister but look what has happened to Lokayukta. Or the Public Service Commission or even the Corporation.
Read: Yeddyurappa Jr Not To Contest Election, BJP Workers Erupt In ProtestThe sons of the two political veterans running for Karnataka Chief Minister will not face off in the constituency of Varuna in Mysuru. Varuna, a rural area with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as its current legislator, was prepping for weeks for a show down between Mr Siddaramaiah's son, Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah, a pathologist by training, and BY Vijayendra, the son of the BJP's presumptive Chief Minister, BS Yeddyurappa.
He once used to sell tea to make a living. Today, P Anil Kumar is a crorepati who has taken the political plunge. The 43-year-old has filed his nomination papers for next month's Karnataka assembly elections as an Independent candidate from Bommanahalli constituency in Bengaluru.
Actress Pooja Gandhi joins Janata Dal (Secular) at the party's office in Bengaluru.
Parties welcome Election Commission's schedule for Karnataka assembly polls
Political parties today said they are "election ready", with all three players, Congress, BJP and JDS, claiming that they would come to power. The EC announced a single phase election for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly on May 12, with counting of votes to be taken up on May 15.
After BJP Chief Amit Shah had a slip of tongue earlier in the day and called Yeddyurappa government "corrupt", Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took a jibe at him. "He has spoken the truth, it's not a mistake, he is right," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"Yeddyurappa government should be awarded most corrupt award," Amit Shah said earlier in the day and later corrected himself. Read the story
here.
Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Karnataka Polls:
"BJP will get clear majority in the upcoming elections in Karnataka. No divisive politics will work this time"
Even Before Karnataka Poll Announcement, BJP's Amit Malviya Tweeted DateMoments before the Karnataka election was announced by the Election Commission today, the May 12 poll date was revealed in a tweet by the BJP's Amit Malviya, which has set off a huge controversy. It soon emerged that the Congress's social media in-charge in Karnataka put out a tweet at the same time - 11.08 am - a good 15 minutes before the announcement.
Facts about Karnataka elections 2018:
- A total of 224 Assembly Constituencies will be contested in Karnataka with 36 seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes
- Approximately 4.968 Crore electoral rolls in the State
- 56,696 polling stations will be set-up which is a 9% increase in comparison to 2013
- Total of 224 Women managed polling stations will be setup for the state of Karnataka for the first time
- EVMs & VVPATs will be used in all polling stations in the elections in Karnataka
- Webcasting to be set up at critical stations that will be identified so as to enable live monitoring of the election process
CPI Leader D Raja on Karnataka poll dates:
Election Commission is allowed to announce dates. Political parties have no role to play in this. The Election Commission must ensure free and fair elections
There is a clear change of mood across the country. People are rejecting the BJP and the BJP cannot take people for granted
Jyotiraditya Scindia to NDTV on Karnataka Poll Date Leak :
If the election commission is impartial, it will immediately send a notice to both BJP and Amit Malviya. The election commission should also start investigating the matter.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on BJP's Prahlad Joshi's comment that 'Siddaramaiah will not come back as CM':
"They are making such statements out of desperation, they are nervous that they'll lose," he told news agency ANI.
- Far fewer suicides in BJP ruled states than in Karnataka
- And these suicides are mostly due to personal problems or depression etc
- I am certain that the sincerity that PM Narendra Modi has for the betterment of farmers cannot be matched by others. Some of the farmer-friendly schemes launched by PM Modi have been crucial for ensuring a better future for farmers.
- Law and order is a matter of grave concern in Karnataka
- Law and Order will be a top priority of the BJP, if voted to power in the state
- It is unfortunate to see Congress' appeasement policy. Wherever they go, this is all they do. Appeasement politics is very dangerous for the country and its national unity
- On the one hand you have a leader like PM Modi, who is doing all he can to make India united, to ensure that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and all other communities are equal and united; on the other hand we see the Congress and its chief minister - Siddaramaiah, trying to divide even the Hindus. This is the Congress' divide-and-rule policy
- We will contest independently in all the seats in Karnataka elections 2018. We have no connections with JD (S)
- I want to assure all the residents of Karnataka that should you give an opportunity to the BJP-government led by Mr Yeddyurappa, we will take this state from 'goonda-raj' to 'governance-raj'.
The announcement of election dates spawned a controversy as the BJP IT Cell head tweeted the dates before the official announcement. The Election Commission said they "will look into leaks" on dates.
Karanataka Elections 2018:
Date of Issue of Gazette Notification - 17 Apr 2018
Last Date of Nominations - 24 Apr 2018
Date for Scrutiny of Nominations - 25 Apr 2018
Last Date for Withdrawal of Candidatures - 27 Apr 2018
Date of Election - 12 May
Date of Counting (Result) - 15 May
Karnataka elections to be held on May 12 ; results to be announced on May 15
The Election Commission begins press briefing on the details of Karnataka election 2018.
- Special arrangements to be made for women voters including security arrangements. Over 450 centers all-women centres will be set up.
- VVPATS will be used at all polling stations during the elections in the state
- Photographs of all candidates are to be attached to the voting machines in the state
- Electronically transmitted postal ballots will be used for the Karnataka elections
- The Model code of conduct comes into effect immediately in the whole of Karnataka
- Use of loudspeakers will be regulated and not be used between 10 pm and 6 am
- Election expenditure monitoring has been issued in detail and it will be monitored rigorously
- Ceiling on expenditure by candidates is 28 lakhs but no ceiling on expenditure of political parties
- Media certification and planning committees already in place, training going on, will monitor paid news
- Pre-certification of all advertisements in electronic media
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended a rally in Mangaluru, Karnataka. After the BJP's win in the assembly polls in the northeastern states, Mr Adityanath had said that
the 'lotus' will now bloom in Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha, thanks to the development-oriented policies of the prime minister and his good governance, and the guidance of the party chief Amit Shah.
The BJP launched Bengaluru Rakshisi or Save Bengaluru campaign earlier this month with padyatras through all the 28 assembly constituencies in the city over two weeks. The campaign that began in south Bengaluru's Basavanagudi was attended by union ministers Ananth Kumar, Sadananda Gowda and Prakash Javadekar who is also the party in-charge for Karnataka.
Seven rebel JD(S) leaders joined Congress in Karnataka yesterday. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi welcomed them to the party in Mysuru yesterday. "I look forward to work with you all, towards our shared vision for #NavaKarnatakaNirmana," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted.
Addressing a rally in the Karnataka last month, Congress chief rahul Gandhi attacked PM Modi, demanding answers for the multi-thousand crore banking fraud linked to celebrity designer Nirav Modi. Mr Gandhi also invoked Basaveshwara, the 12th century social reformer from Karnataka who is revered by the Lingayats.
The ruling Congress in the state faces a tough challenge from the BJP, which launched its election campaign in November. The BJP spent 85 days campaigning across the state and organized a rally in Bengaluru addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP has decided to pitch BS Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate.
BJP chief Amit Shah held a massive roadshow in Shivamogga yesterday, where he launched the state BJP's "Karunadu Jagruti Yatre' a rally to awaken the electorate of Karnataka against the "misrule" of the Siddaramaiah government.
The Karnataka elections are important to the two major political parties - BJP and Congress who have been campaigning aggressively in the state for the last few months. For the Congress, retaining Karnataka is an imperative at a time it has lost its grip on much of India. The party is in power in just four states - Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Mizoram - compared to the BJP's 21.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the dates for the Karnataka elections 2018 in a briefing at 11 am today. The briefing is also expected to give more details regarding the election such as the constituencies, security measures and also announce the dates for the election results.