New Delhi: 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:
Apr 24, 2018 08:01 (IST)
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.
Apr 21, 2018 14:58 (IST)
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.
Apr 21, 2018 14:57 (IST)
Actress Pooja Gandhi joins Janata Dal (Secular) at the party's office in Bengaluru.