Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE: NCP Announces First List of 9 Candidates, Drops Ajit Pawar from Star Campaigners List

NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s name has not been included in the star campaigner list.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) issued its first list of nine candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections and also names star campaigners.

Aman was seen cleaning a cut out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Devanahalli in poll-bound Karnataka after rain.

In the video, which is now going viral on social media, the man was seen cleaning the rain-soaked cut out with his ‘gamcha’. When asked the reason behind this, he said he is doing it out of ‘vishwas’ and reverence. “Modi ji is God to me. No one has paid me for it,” he said. READ MORE

BJP National President JP Nadda held a roadshow in Bidar district of Karnataka.

Election officials in Karnataka have seized gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 7 crore at a check post in the outskirts of Haveri. As the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election is getting closer the police and election officials have kept a close watch on all the possible means by political parties to influence voters. READ MORE

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday said “Modi factor” would not have an impact in the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls and expects Muslims to solidly back his party by opting for tactical voting.

In an interview with PTI, the former Chief Minister also said the polls would be mainly fought on local issues and insisted a victory in the southern state would serve as a stepping stone for the Congress in national politics ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The 75-year-old Leader of Opposition, who reiterated this will be his last electoral battle, said he expects 90 per cent of Muslim voters to back the Congress. The ruling BJP is facing strong anti-incumbency.

Karnataka’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded senior Lingayat leader Mahesh Tenginkai from the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections. Reports suggest that Mahesh Tenginkai was chosen by the BJP from this crucial seat as the party wanted to promote new generation leaders. READ MORE

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s roadshow in Devanahalli town has been cancelled due to rain.

Devanahalli is the birthplace of 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan.

Ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections next month, former Congress leader Yousuff Sharif alias KGF Babu’s home received an Income Tax (IT) department knock, after which several shocking recoveries were made. Sharif recently quit the grand old party and filed his nomination as an Independent candidate. READ MORE

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, to counter the Congress’ narrative to brand the ruling party as “anti-Lingayat”, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to unleash a “Lingayat CM” campaign.

Senior leaders Jagadish Shettar, Laxman Savadi and Ayanur Manjunath and other Lingayat functionaries have left the saffron party, and joined Congress and JD (S) after they were denied tickets. This has propelled speculations that BJP could project a Lingayat leader as the CM face, though no name is finalised yet. READ MORE

Former Karnataka Chief Minister and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jagadish Shettar joined Congress on Monday. Shettar dumped the BJP after the party didn’t give him a ticket to contest the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka.

Now reports suggest that Congress’ Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala and some other senior Congress leaders went to the residence of Jagadish Shettar for dinner on Thursday. READ MORE

Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that 5,000 people have downloaded his property declaration papers, and anyone, including the BJP can play foul. “I know what they are up to. In this backdrop another nomination has been filed through my brother D.K. Suresh,” he stated.

The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana is extending support to the JD(S) in Karnataka Assembly elections and it chose not to field any candidate in the May 10 polls as its friendly party is in the fray.

The BRS, previously TRS, renamed itself in December last year to make a foray into national politics and it had toyed with the idea of contesting Karnataka elections.

BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje on Friday slammed the Congress party over leader Imran Pratapgarhi’s name in the list of campaigners for Karnataka assembly elections.

BJP National President JP Nadda visited the Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama in Bidar district. Later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a roadshow in Devanahalli town, the birthplace of 18th century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan.

Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar on Friday alleged that over 5,000 people have downloaded his property declaration papers. He said, “Anyone, including the BJP can play foul. I know what they are up to. In this backdrop another nomination has been filed through my brother D.K. Suresh,” he stated. Shivakumar had declared property worth more than Rs 1,414 crore, an IANS report said.

On the last of filing nomination papers ahead of Karnataka assembly elections, Congress leader DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh had also filed his papers from the Kanakapura constituency, a seat from which Shivakumar was already contesting. According to a Hindustan Times report, this was done as a precaution because there was a question mark on whether Shivakumar’s nomination will be accepted or not. This was also because the Karnataka HC on Thursday dismissed the petition by D K Shivakumar challenging the sanction given by the State Government to the CBI for prosecuting him, a PTI report said.

Now that BJP, Congress, and JD(S) have released the list of candidates, let’s take a look on the Key Constituencies and Candidates

• Hubli Dharwad Central: Mahesh Tenginakai (BJP), Jagadish Shettar (Congress), Siddalingeshgowda Odeyar (JDS)
• Udupi: Yashpal Suvarna (BJP), Prasadraj Kanchan (Congress), Dakshat R Shetty (JDS)
• Shivamogga: Channabasappa (BJP) vs Ayanur Manjunath (Congress)Mahadevapura: Manjula Aravind Limbavali (BJP), Nagesh T (Congress)
• Huballi Dharwad East: Arvind Bellad (BJP), Prasad Abbayya (Congress), Veerabhadrappa (JDS)
• Shiggaon: Basavaraj Bommai (BJP), Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan (Congress)Kolar: Varthur Prakash (BJP), Kothur G. Manjunath (Congress), CMR Srinath (JDS)

Congress leader DK Shivakumar’s nomination papers were accepted from the Kanakpura constituency on Friday, the day nominations were slated to be scrutinised. Meanwhile, a total of 35 candidates filed their nominations for the eight Assembly constituencies in Dakshina Kannada district on the last day of the nomination process in poll-bound Karnataka, officials said.

When Bengaluru faced a deluge after rains lashed the Silicon Valley of India in August last year, the MLA of Mahadevapura constituency — which was one of the worst-hit — acknowledged the unprecedented rains but clearly stated it would not have any bearing on the 2023 assembly elections. He seems to have got it right as neither floods nor potholes and traffic woes are of concern to the people of Bengaluru in this election. READ MORE