Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE: EC Preps for Voting Day, Over 1L Vials of Indelible Ink Supplied; Efforts to Hide 'Broom' Underway, Here's Why

BJP has raised objection to Congress including its Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi’s name in the star campaigner list for the Karnataka Assembly election. BJP alleged that Pratapgarhi was close aide of late gangster Atiq Ahmed

“Imran Pratapgarhi called Atiq his guru, Congress is appointing such individuals with a criminal background to appease minorities,” said Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlage.

Karandlage further alleged that Pratapgarhi used to write Shayari to pit Hindus and Muslims against each other.

Days ahead of Karnataka Assembly polls, BJP MLC AH Vishwanath announced that he will join Congress today. After former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Vishwanath is another prominent leader to ship from BJP to Congress ahead of polls.

“Today I am joining Congress. There are political reasons, due to which I am leaving BJP and joining Congress,”  Vishwanath told the media.

Election Commission is in the process of hiding party symbols ahead of the May 10 Karnataka Assembly Polls. However, officials may find it difficult to hide the symbol of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP).

As per election rules, any material or images representing the symbols of contesting parties in constituencies should be hidden after the model code of conduct comes into force and until the end of the election to avoid influencing the voters.

Election Commission is now faced with the challenge of hiding the AAP’s symbol– broom– from the public eye everywhere.

Earlier, during the Uttar Pradesh elections, all elephant effigies were covered with clothes because the elephant is the symbol of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Mysore Paints and Varnish Company, the 65 years old enterprise in India, that supplies supplier of indelible ink for election purpose in the country, have delivered one lakh 30 thousand vials of ink to the office of the Chief Electoral Office in Bengaluru for use during the May 10 Assembly election in Karnataka.

Each vial of ink contains 10 ML quantity of ink and can be used on 700 to 800 voters, as per a report by All India Radio.

“The BJP has given the ticket to senior party worker Channabasappa and we are happy about it because he had worked for my father’s victory seven times. He worked as my father’s son. He was always committed to Hindus’ safety. So BJP has identified him and his work and we are happy about it,” said KS Eshwarappa son Kantesh.

The Congress on Wednesday slammed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for accusing former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of politicising the issue of Indians stranded in Sudan, saying it was an “appalling response” to a “genuine appeal” for assistance.  READ MORE

Congress party is infamous for its lies… What did Siddaramaiah do? First, he should see who did the work of setting fire in Karnataka, the people of the whole world are following PM Modi, and people know what they have to do, said BJP candidate Mahesh Tenginkai.

BJP leader Mahesh Tenginkai, who was given a ticket from the Hubbali-Central constituency after shunning former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar is on his way to file his nomination today. Before filing the poll nomination, the BJP leader visited Siddharoodha Mutt to seek blessings.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who joined the Congress this week after quitting the BJP, figures in the Congress’ list of star campaigners for the Karnataka Assembly polls that also includes party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Shashi Tharoor. The Congress on Wednesday released a list of 40 leaders who would be the party’s star campaigners for the May 10 assembly elections. READ MORE

In an exclusive interview to News18, Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar said that PM Narendra Modi will not be able to make a difference in a progressive state like Karnataka, citing how he “could neither save the party nor their leaders”.

Shivakumar is confident that he won’t have to fight against Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) R Ashoka in Kanakapura. “Every home in the constituency has a Shivakumar and they will fight the election for me,” he said. READ MORE

Yankappa, an independent candidate Yankappa from the Yadgir constituency, paid his deposit money for filing the nomination paper in one rupee coins. He paid the poll fee of Rs 10,000 in coins collected from the people of his constituency.

Age seems to be just a number for 91-year-old Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who is again gearing up for the Assembly polls in Karnataka, as he calls himself a “galloping horse” in the electoral arena.

The Congress veteran, a five-time MLA and also a former Lok Sabha member, has been re-nominated by the grand old party to contest from Davangere South.

“I have people’s support and God’s blessings. What else is required?” Shivashankarappa, who has virtually become “synonymous” with Davangere in central Karnataka, says with a smile, expressing confidence of winning again.

Karnataka: In the Davanagere district, we have come to know that 39 people are stranded in Sudan’s war-hit area. We are in touch with them. All of them are in touch with Indian Embassy. I requested their family members to have some strength and follow the directions given by Indian Embassy: Shivanand Kapashi, DM, Davanagere

As the date of the Assembly polls in Karnataka draws closer, candidates from all parties are filing their nomination papers. So far, 842 candidates, including Minister V Sommana, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar, have submitted their nominations for the May 10 Assembly elections. READ MORE

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai, who submitted his nomination papers by holding a road show in Shiggavi yesterday, is set to visit the border district of Bidar today. CM will attend a public meeting at Bhalki, Humanabad, the meeting will be held at 10:50 am and the program will be held at Humanabad at 12-30 pm. Later, the CM will leave for Kalaburgi.

The JD(S) on Wednesday announced its third list of 59 candidates for May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, and has announced support to candidates from other parties in seven seats, including one from the Congress. The party has also replaced candidates in 12 segments from the two lists it had announced earlier. READ MORE

With just a day left to file nominations for May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, the ruling BJP on Wednesday released its fourth list, naming candidates for remaining two constituencies- Shivamogga and Manvi. In Shivamogga, the party has given ticket to Channabasappa, while denying it to sitting MLA and senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa’s family. READ MORE

The Congress on Wednesday announced its fifth list of three candidates for the May 10 Assembly elections, replacing the one against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon. A day after fielding Mohammed Yousuf Savanur as its candidate from Shiggaon in Haveri district, the party nominated Yasir Ahmed Khan Phatan in his place. READ MORE

The Congress in the early hours of Thursday released its sixth and final list of five candidates for the impending Karnataka assembly elections.

In the final list, Mohammed Shalem was fielded from Raichur, BV Rajeev Gowda from Sidlaghatta, S Anand Kumar from C V Raman Nagar (SC), HP Sridhar Gowda from Arkalgud, and Inayath Ali from Mangalore City North.

The Congress on Wednesday tweeted a video clip of BJP chief J P Nadda’s remarks in Karnataka, accusing him of “threatening” the voters and calling his comments a “blatant attack on democracy”.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted a video clip of Nadda addressing an election gathering in Karnataka, to attack the BJP. READ MORE