Karnataka Election LIVE: On Hubli-Dharwad Tour, Amit Shah to Lead Fast Over Parliament Washout

While Amit Shah visits Sri Siddharudha Mutt in Hubli, Anant Kumar hits at Congress's 'chhole-bhature' fast, says BJP chief and PM Modi are true devotees but Rahul visits mutts only to get votes during elections.

CM Sir, come on! Congress speaking of protecting Constitution is akin to Osama Bin Laden speaking for world peace!

You may keep chanting about need to protect Constitution, but people won't forget the history of utter disregard shown to constitutional values by Congress. https://t.co/w8eY6E4zUF

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 12, 2018

The issues before the #KarnatakaElection2018 are Constitutional democracy & its survival, development with social justice & fulfilling the aspirations of our youth.

We will defeat Anant Kumar Hegde & his likes who have declared that BJP is in power to change the #Constitution .

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 12, 2018

As BJP lawmakers begin their country-wide protest over the recent washout of the second half of the budget session, most of the Karnataka MPs are yet to reach the venue in Dharwad. Anant Kumar, PC Mohan and Sadanand Gowda have just arrived.

Congress screening committee will send it's recommendation to Congress Election Committee today. Rhul Gandhi headed CEC will finalise and release the names tomorrow. Around 150 names expected in first list.

As the countdown for Karnataka elections begins, race to grab the party ticket has also kicked off. Sources in the Congress said that the party is set to give tickets to CM's son Dr Yatheendra, home minister's daughter Soumya Reddy and Kolar MP K H Muniyappa's daughter. Almost a dozen leaders are said to be seeking tickets for their children.

BJP chief Amit Shah has begun his campaign in Hubli-Dharwad region. He is scheduled to visit  memorials of Kannada icons like D R Bendre, Kumaravyasa and Sangolli Rayanna. He will also meet farmers and businessmen.
 

The BJP is not considered a strong party in this seat and it is still searching for a suitable candidate who can take on Siddaramaiah. The chief minister’s followers allege that BJP has a secret deal with the Janata Dal (Secular) to defeat Siddaramaiah. The semi-urban seat has 72,000 Vokkaligas and 30,000 Lingayat votes. The Backward Classes, Muslims, SC/STs together have over a lakh votes. Siddaramaiah is confident of getting votes from people of all castes and religions. He told News18 that BJP’s caste politics will not work here as the voters see him as their chief minister, not as a Kuruba or OBC. 

After the delimitation of constituencies, he moved to newly created Varuna for strategic reasons and has won twice from there on a Congress ticket. The current MLA of Chamundeshwari, JD(S)’s GT Deve Gowda, is a strong leader in Mysore district and former PM HD Deve Gowda is working overtime to on a strategy to defeat one-time “shishya” Siddaramaiah. “Siddaramaiah is a megalomaniac. He is arrogant. He is abusing my party. The voters of Chamundeshwari will not like that. He will be defeated this time," he told News18. 

Badami has a large number of Kuruba voters. Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba by caste and they look up to him as their tallest leader. Siddaramaiah has vacated his current seat, Varuna in Mysore district, for his son Dr Yatheendra. Sensing that chief minister and state Congress president are planning to contest from two seats each, the main opposition parties - BJP and JDS - have already stepped up the attack, calling them “cowards”. 

Party insiders say that while Congress president Rahul Gandhi has given the green signal to Siddaramaiah’s dual seat plan, Parameshwara is yet to get his approval. According to sources, Siddaramaiah will contest from Badami in Bagalkote district along with Chamundeshwari. The sitting MLA of Badami, BB Chimmanakatti, is not well and the party has told him that Siddaramaiah may pick his seat. Badami has a large number of Kuruba voters. Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba by caste and they look up to him as their tallest leader. Siddaramaiah has vacated his current seat, Varuna in Mysore district, for his son Dr Yatheendra. 

Sources in the Congress say party president Rahul Gandhi has given a go-ahead to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s plan to contest from two seats in upcoming Assembly elections — Chamundeshwari and Badami. Siddaramaiah was thought to be keeping a safe seat in north Karnataka region as a back-up after being convinced by his well-wishers about the dangers of relying only on the Chamundeshwari seat in view of a “deal” between JD(S) and the BJP there. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Chief (KPCC) Dr G Parameshwara, who had lost the last time by over 30,000 votes, is also likely to contest from two seats — Koratagere in Tumkur district and Pulikeshinagara in Bengaluru. 

After BJP national president Amit Shah disowned him in public, Bellary mining mafia chief G Janardhana Reddy is worried about his political future. He is in New Delhi demanding ticket for his younger brother G Somashekhara Reddy from Bellary City. He has also met a state Congress minister Santosh Lad in New Delhi. Siddaramaiah has already clarified that there is no question of taking in the Reddys.

Nitish Kumar to arrive in Bengaluru in an hour after it was announced that JD(U) will contest elections in Karnataka. Senior party leader Sharad Yadav has already arrived. "We will be contesting elections in between 24 to 30 seats in Karnataka on our own. Nitishji will be visiting the state on April 12 to kickstart the campaign," JDU (Nitish Kumar Faction) Karnataka Unit President Mahima Patel had told reporters in Bengaluru. JDU, which was a part of Janata Parivar, had ruled Karnataka under Ramakrishna Hegde and H D Deve Gowda's leadership, but split into more than two factions. At present, the party does not have any member in state assembly.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018: After Phony Intel Report, Congress Battles Fake Candidates List | The ruling Congress in Karnataka has been hit by several pieces of election-related fake news in the last few days and the Grand Old Party is pointing fingers at the BJP, accusing it of spreading fake news fearing “certain defeat” in the Assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 12. On Tuesday, several media organisations and lakhs of voters across Karnataka received a ‘candidates list’ allegedly from the Congress via WhatsApp. The ‘list’ had 132 names and many fell for it as the Central Election Committee of the Congress is currently discussing candidate selection in New Delhi. Some channels even aired the list. It was only after the ‘list’ was sent to the Congress office that top leaders of the party scrutinised it and dismissed it as fake.

After BJP National President Amit Shah disowned him in public, Bellary mining mafia chief G Janardhana Reddy is worried about his political future. He is in New Delhi demanding a ticket for his younger brother G Somashekhara Reddy from Bellary City. He has also met a state Congress minister Santosh Lad in New Delhi. Siddaramaiah has clarified that no question of taking tainted Reddys.

SM Krishna, who switched over from the Congress six months ago, insists that all is well between the BJP and him, but is mum on why he doesn't attend party events anymore.

Former CM S M Krishna clarifies that he is not quitting BJP. The former chief minister and external affairs minister who joined the BJP in a surprise move a year ago said he will campaign if the time permits him! His quote "I am aware of the media reports about me returning to Congress. I am not quitting BJP. I am busy. If I get time will campaign for BJP".

The Congress faces internal rebellion as different factions bat for their candidates ahead of the declaration of first list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah worried is worried after factionalism in Bellary, Bengaluru city and Belgaum district units. The Congress is expected to finalise the list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections by April 15.

Krishna, a Fulbright Scholar, won his first Assembly election in 1962 on a Praja Socialist Party (PSP) ticket from Maddur. As an MP, he joined the Congress in early 1970s and rose to prominence in the party.

The Karnataka unit of Congress has attacked the BJP and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after An 18-year-old woman alleged that she was raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brothers. The woman’s father died in police custody on Monday prompting her to charge that he was killed inside jail at the behest of Sengar. “BJP’s star campaigner @yogiaditynath is missing in Karnataka as he is busy saving rapists in his state,” the Congress tweeted. Meanwhile, the Congress is expected to finalise the list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections by April 15. The nomination process begins on April 17. 

FLASH | H D Deve Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna agrees to campaign for Janata Dal (Secular). He was upset over denial of ticket to him. Gowda has promised him his Lok Sabha seat Hassan in 2019. After several rounds of talks, he agrees to campaign. He will be touring the state in a special vehicle from tomorrow

The Congress screening committee is against renominating N A Haris from Shanthinagara in Bengaluru. A youth Congress leader, Haris, became MLA in 2008 from Shanthinagara -- a Muslim, Christian and Dalit dominated seat in eastern part of the city. He won a second consecutive term in 2013. Haris, who has cultivated contacts in New Delhi, never bothered to have a good relationship with his partymen in Bengaluru. This mistake may cost him his MLA post this time. NA Haris's son Mohammad Nalapad allegedly assaulted a student in a cafe in the Bengaluru over a petty quarrel.

Congress will take some more time to release the name of its candidates for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018. Sources said all names will be cleared by April 15. 

BS Yeddyurappa takes an auto ride ahead of his campaign meeting with auto rickshaw drivers today. 

'BJP TRYING TO POACH' | "BJP is facing a shortage of candidates in Karnataka. They are eyeing our candidates in some seats," alleges JDS state chief H D Kumaraswamy. 

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Parameshwar, Dinesh Gundu Rao, S R patil, ramalinga reddy, kc venugopal, DK Shivakumar, KJ George are in New Delhi for the screening committee meeting today afternoon. The Congress central election committee meeting will take place tomorrow. Most likely, Congress will release its first list within 12th or 13th

Followers of BJP's N R Ramesh who has been denied a ticket from Chikpet in Bengaluru observe a bandh in the constituency. Several areas shut... Sources said that one of his followers tried to commit suicide. Another aspirant Ramachandra from Bengaluru's R R Nagara has convened a meeting of his supporters. He has been denied ticket.

The BJP’s first list of 72 names for the Karnataka Assembly elections does not feature any Muslim, Christian or Jain, candidate. The list has 21 Lingayat, 10 Scheduled Caste, 10 Vokkaligas, 19 OBC, 6 Scheduled Tribe, 5 Brahmin and one Kodava candidate. Most of the 72 are party veterans while three new entrants from other parties who were promised tickets have been given their due. The BJP ticket aspirants who did not make it to the first list are at chief ministerial candidate Yeddyurappa's house demanding seats.

 Sources said the Reddy brothers from Bellary are also putting pressure on Yeddyurappa as they want a ticket for Somashekhara Reddy from Bellary City. He is a former BJP MLA and Janardhana Reddy's younger brother.