Karnataka Election LIVE: After 'Mutt Run', Amit Shah Wishes Lingayat Seer on His 111th B'day

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visits Maramma temple in Mysuru's Hutagalli village and campaigns in Chamundeshwari, from where he will contest the upcoming assembly election. Meanwhile, JD(S) state chief H D Kumaraswamy said, "We will defeat CM Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari. He has also realised it in the last two days."

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited Maramma temple in Mysuru's Hutagalli village and campaigned in Chamundeshwari, says, 'people of this constituency love me, they will bless me.' pic.twitter.com/Wa7Ly9Ly5Y

— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018

Police seizes pressure cookers from RR Nagar constituency.

Seizure from  Laggere ward 

Nearly 100 pressure cookers and 350 sarees were seized durind raid in Laggere ward under RR Nagar constituency. The boxes had pictures of contractor-turned-Congress MLA N Munirathna Naidu wishing people on Pongal, which was celebrated in January. Police along with Mangaluru City Corporation official and other officers conducted the raid. A day earlier, a truck carrying pressure cookers with pictures of Laxmi Hebbalkar, president of the State Women's Congress Cell, was seized by police in Belagavi's Sadashiv Nagar area.

After an FIR was registered against BJP MP Pralhad Joshi for his alleged derogatory remarks against mosques of Hubballi, the MP on Sunday said that he has full faith in the judiciary. A group of Muslims staged a protest on Friday evening, following which the action was taken on Saturday.

I made the statement on the basis of the conditions in the area, I have full faith in judiciary & will fight it out: Pralhad Joshi, BJP MP on FIR against him for alleged communal statement. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/KP5URxe0Fj

— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018

Prime Minister Modi also wishes Sri Sri Sri Shivakumara Swami on his birthday. People of Karnataka revere the pontiff as 'Nadedaduva Devaru' or 'Walking God'.

ಪರಮಪೂಜ್ಯ ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀ ಶಿವಕುಮಾರ ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಗಳ ಸುದೀರ್ಘ ಆಯುಷ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಆರೋಗ್ಯಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಸದಾ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ತಮ್ಮ ಸಾನ್ನಿಧ್ಯದಿಂದ ಭಕ್ತರನ್ನು ಅನುಗ್ರಹಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಸಮಾಜಕ್ಕೆ ಅವರ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿರಲಿ. pic.twitter.com/fUaTnKBIVM

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 1, 2018

Amit Shah posts a tweet on 111th birthday on Siddhaganga Mutt's seer Sri Sri Sri Shivakumara Swami. Shah had visited the mutt earlier this week during his two-day tour of poll-bound Karnataka. BJP chief's meeting with the seer was seen as an attempt to reach out to the Lingayats/Veeshaivas, who are numerically and politically powerful in the state and form a major voter base for the BJP. The visit assumes significance as it comes in the backdrop of the Siddaramaiah government’s move to recommend to the Centre to accord a religious minority tag to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats in an attempt to wean away a section of them from the BJP. In fact, the Siddaganga Mutt was among the first to welcome the Siddaramaiah government's decision to accord minority status to Lingayats. 

Greetings to Nadedaduva Devaru Sri Sri Sri Shivakumara Swami ji on his 111th birthday. May almighty bless him with a long and healthy life and he continue to guide us with his wisdom. pic.twitter.com/krNLNzx6gf

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 1, 2018

Former Union minister and Congress veteran C K Jaffer Sharief is unhappy over his grandson's name not being considered for Assembly ticket. Sharief's grandson, Abdul Rehaman, had suffered defeat for two consecutive terms. During the bypolls in Hebbal, there was a fight within the Congress, with Siddaramaiah wanting to give a ticket to an Independent MLC, but it was opposed by leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge. And finally, Sharief's grandson managed to get the ticket, only to lose it to BJP candidate. Meanwhile, senior Sharief has criticised Siddaramaiah government's move to rake up minority religion tag for Lingayats and alleges that "whoever has money, has the command in Congress".

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda confirms that Janata Dal (Secular) will not share seats with Nationalist Congress Party. "Sharad Pawar is advising  Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti. He is pro-Maharashtra and anti-Karnataka. We will not get into an alliance with them," Gowda said. 

About increase from 88583cr to 219506cr, you are comparing 2 different periods. Due to inflation & tax growth,revenues rise by 10-15% every year. Plus devolution % was changed from 32 to 42%. But center reduced its share of central schemes. So, it is an apple to orange comparison

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2018

Factually incorrect. Out of 8165cr waived, Rs 5307cr is released to Coop Banks,taking care of all loans due so far. In the 2018-19 budget rest of the money is provided.

Farmers know their loans are waived. These false reports are used only to mislead people in election season https://t.co/sRhDTfruTk

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2018

Was the Karnataka BJP sleeping for 5 years? Did they sleep through the 15 Legislature sessions where all these accounts were presented, debated & approved? So, please stop fooling the people. Repeating a lie does not make it true.

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2018

Where did the money go? The answer is it went into irrigation, schools, hospitals, roads & highways, railway lines, crop insurance, farm loan waiver & the list goes on. Account for every rupee is presented before the legislature. The leader of Opposition Jagdeesh Shettar is aware

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2018

On Saturday Amit Shah had said, "Siddaramaiah asks what has the Modi government done for Karnataka. I would like to remind that when there was the 13th Finance Commission during UPA regime, funds worth Rs 88,583 crore were allocated for the state of Karnataka. But when the 14th finance commission was implemented after the BJP came to power at the Centre, funds for Karnataka were increased to Rs 2,19,506 crore." Calling the statement a lie, the CM said, "These funds are not a special grant to Karnataka. All states receive it. Funds so received go into our state budget. I have presented 5 budgets with a total outlay of about 9,00,000 crores. This outlay is funded by FC grants, own tax revenue & borrowing (sic)."

After Amit Shah addressed issue of alleged discrimination being meted out to southern states while allocating funds, CM Siddaramaiah took to Twitter this morning to demystify what he calls "Shah of Lies". "Finance Commissions decides the formula for fund sharing & the states get the funds. It is not a gift of UPA or NDA. This has been the practice since 1950 (sic)," he said.

Devolution of central funds to states is a constitutional duty of the center & the funds are a right of all states. Finance Commissions decide formula for fund sharing & the states get the funds. It is not a gift of UPA or NDA. This has been the practice since 1950.

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 1, 2018

A total of Rs 97 lakh was seized in cash by the Election Commission on Saturday in Belgaum, Hubli and Bagalkot area. 

Rs 54 lakh being transported from Ilkal to Bagalkot in a car seized by a special team of Election Commission. The vehicle lacked proper documents.

BJP denies ticket to former minister Haratalu Halappa from Sagara in Shimoga district. He alleges party deciding tickets based on fake surveys.

Kumaraswamy assured the electorate that he willl ensure continuous supply of power within six months of coming to power. He also said that he will give up the post if he fails to keep up his promise. 

Congress and BJP are not bothered about issues of agriculture, irrigation and job creation. Give me once chance, I beg of you, said Kumaraswamy.

If abusing each other would solve people's problems, I will also spend two hours bad-mouthing other parties, said Kumaraswamy.

HD Kumaraswamy, during a rally in Davangere, said the Congress and the BJP are only busy in war of words. Abusing each other is not going to solve people's problems, said the former CM of Karnataka. 

Responding to a question on why then UPA government had in 2013 rejected the state government's proposal to grant religious minority status to Lingayats, Moily sternly said: "It was only deferred for want of more details in the proposal but never rejected."

He (Siddaramaiah) inspired the regional pride in the southern state through the decision of having a separate symbolic identity for the state through a flag, which is awaiting an approval from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, said Moily. "Even with all the populist programmes, the state's finances never crossed fiscal responsibilities and every programme announced has been implemented," said Moily, the Lok Sabha lawmaker from Chikballapur constituency in the state.

There is no anti-incumbency against the ruling Congress government in Karnataka, senior party leader and former Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily said today. "The Congress does not face anti-incumbency in the ensuing poll as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has inspired regional pride in the state," Moily said at a media conclave in Mumbai.

The BJP president, who is touring the old Mysuru region, met the royal family at their private palace in Mysuru on Friday, triggering speculation about their supporting the BJP.

"Had a wonderful meeting with Maharaja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Rajamatha Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and Maharani Trishika Kumari Devi of the Royal Family of Mysuru," said Amit Shah in a tweet after the meeting.

During the closed door meeting with the scion of royal family or the present titular Maharaja-Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Rajamata Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, Shah reportedly discussed various issues, including politics, the sources said.

BJP President Amit Shah declined to reveal the nature of discussions he had with the Wadiyar royal family of Mysuru, amid speculation that the party was seeking to enlist their support in the May 12 Assembly polls.