Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE: Shah To Continue BJP's Poll Campaign in Hassan; Rahul To Address rally In Hangal Today

Ahead of assembly elections in Karnataka slated for May 10, 2023, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Shankar Dasar, has a rather peculiar detail to mention in his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission. The 39-year-old politician has mentioned having “two wives”, who are twin sisters. Dasar has also mentioned that he has five kids with them both. READ MORE

Unlike his father JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy is a cricket fan. He is good at facing slog overs and with the all-important Karnataka assembly elections and IPL matches happening at the same time, “slog” seems to be the buzzword in the state.

Waiting for the two main players BJP and Congress to decide all their candidates and fielding some of the powerful ones who have missed the bus on JDS ticket has been an old trick of the Gowdas. It is a tried, tested, sometimes failed and sometimes succeeded idea. READ MORE

Karnataka Minister Murugesh Nirani, who is contesting the Assembly election from Bilgi constituency on a BJP ticket, has been booked after 963 traditional silver lamps worth Rs 21.45 lakh were seized from the factory staff quarters under Mudhol Police Station limits. READ MORE

Invoking 12th century social reformer Basavanna on his birth anniversary, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ruling BJP leaders only spoke about the Lingayat philosopher in their speeches but didn’t follow his teachings.

Calling the BJP government in Karnataka the “most corrupt in the country”, he declared that Congress would win 150 seats in Karnataka out of the total 224 in the May 10 Assembly polls, while the “40 per cent BJP government” would get only 40 seats. He was referring to complaints from contractors that the BJP government in the state sought had allegedly sought 40 per cent commission from them for government contracts. READ MORE

To suddenly say Amul is being brought to Karnataka to kill Nandini is “brazen”, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday, as she alleged that the Gujarat-based dairy cooperative had entered the state when Congress was in power in Karnataka. READ MORE

Commenting on BJP’s outreach of the Lingayat community in poll-bound Karnataka, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that a Lingayat leader -referring to CM Basavaraj Bommai — is the “root of all corruption in the state.”

Siddaramaiah was responding to a question asked about the saffron party saying that a Lingayat should be the next leader of the state. READ MORE

In a sign that the election temperatures are on the rise in the poll-bound state of Karnataka, the ruling BJP on Sunday shared a video of a Congress leader slapping a youngster.

The video that is gaining traction on social media purportedly shows Congress leader and MLA, M.B. Patil “in action” while on the campaign trail.

“Goondaism is in the DNA of Congress. Arrogant Karnataka Congress MLA M.B. Patil physically assaults a youth for sharing his grievances. Getting beaten up for sharing grievances is the ONLY guarantee that Congress delivers,” the Karnataka BJP tweeted alongside the video.

Hitting the campaign trail in the Lingayat-dominated North Karnataka on Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi invoked 12th century social reformer Basavanna, in his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government in the state.

He was addressing a huge public gathering Vijayapura on Sunday, in the first day of his two-day visit to the state where assembly polls are scheduled to be held on May 10.

Rahul Gandhi said that while the medieval era reformer had propounded social equality and helping the needy, the Prime Minister was befriending business tycoon Gautam Adani, who is rich and wealthy.

• The Congress has released the sixth and last lists of candidates for all 224 seats. The party has replaced Mohammed Yousuf Savanur as its candidate from the Shiggaon constituency in Karnataka, currently under Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, and fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan instead from there.
• The Janata Dal (Secular) announced 196 out of a total of 224 seats.

  The JD(S) on Wednesday announced its third list of 59 candidates for the 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.

• The BJP has also released the 4th and last lists of candidates for all 224 seats. The saffron party released its fourth list, naming candidates for the remaining two constituencies Shivamogga and Manvi. In Shivamogga, the BJP has given the ticket to Channabasappa, while denying it to sitting MLA and senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa’s family.

• BJP, Congress and JD(S) are the three largest players in Karnataka polls in 2023.
• While BJP is the ruling party in the state currently, Congress and JD(S) also have a significant presence in the assembly.

• In the 2018 Assembly polls, emerging as the single largest party, BJP had won 104 seats, while Congress and JD(S) could won 80 and 37 seats respectively.
• However, BJP’s tally increased later with several Congress and JD(S) MLAs defecting to join the saffron party.
• Currently, BJP’s tally in the state Assembly is at 119, while the Congress has 75 and Janata Dal (Secular) has 28 seats.

Karnataka is seventh largest legislative assembly in India with a total of 224 seats.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is in poll-bound Karnataka on a two-day visit starting Sunday.

• On Monday, he will interact with sugarcane growers in Ramdurg in Belagavi.
• He will travel to Gadag to take part in ‘Yuva Samvaad’ (interaction with youths).
• Later, he will hold a public meeting in Hangal in the Haveri district.