Teams of Election Commission, Income Tax Department and Flying Squad Team members conducted searches late on Monday night in two hotels in Hubballi where Congress and JD(S) leaders were camping for bypoll campaigning. They recovered articles allegedly meant for distribution during the polls.

The searchers were carried out following complaints of alleged election malpractices. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar and several others were staying in the two hotels. According to an EC release, the searches were carried outat Hotel Denissons and Cotton County Club, both off Gokul Road.

Fifty gold-plated ‘kumkum’ cups, 11 posters of the late Minister C.S. Shivalli, seven voter lists of Kundagol constituency, and a tricolour cap with Congress symbol were recovered.

According to the release, the items had been stored with the aim of influencing the voters of Kundagol constituency on behalf of Congress candidate Kusumavati Shivalli. A case has been filed at Gokul police station in Hubballi against Shivakumar Chandrashekhar Gokavi.