Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE: Amit Shah Says State Will Be Afflicted With Riots if Cong Comes to Power

Taking a strong exception to Narendra Modi’s comments that the opposition party wants to “dig his grave”, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said there won’t be anyone in this country who doesn’t want the Prime Minister’s good health and that he has a long life.

Calling such statements “strange” and questioning as to whether it is an election issue as it is being used during the campaigning, she called on the people of the state to ensure this election is not about Modi or any other leader, irrespective of their party.

Congress leader and former Karnataka Minister D B Inamdar passed away aged 74, family sources said.

The five-time MLA was admitted last month to a private hospital here with severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure, and succumbed to the illness on Tuesday.

He joined the Congress in 1991 and won the Assembly elections thrice.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday defended the BJP government’s decision in Karnataka of scrapping four per cent quota for Muslims saying the party never believed in ‘religion-based reservation’.

“There was a religion based reservation of four per cent for Muslims. Without falling for the vote bank politics, the BJP government abolished the Muslim reservation,” he said addressing a public meeting at Terdal in this district.

A total of 2,613 candidates are in the poll fray, as the withdrawal of candidatures for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka came to an end on Monday, election officials said.

A total of 517 candidates have withdrawn their candidature till today, even as parties faced “rebel trouble” in several segments. Out of 2,613 candidates in the poll fray, 2,427 are male, 184 females and 2 others, office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka said.

Talking to reporters in Karnataka during his road show, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said irrespective of what former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says,  BS Yediyurappa is the tallest Lingayat leader, and he will hold 110 rallies in the state.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that “if the Congress comes to power by mistake then corruption will be all-time high and there will be ‘appeasement’,” said Shah, who is on a two-day tour of Karnataka to hold a series of public meetings, roadshows and review meetings with his party leaders.

“If the Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high and Karnataka will be afflicted with riots,” Shah added.

Seeking the people’s mandate for “political stability” in Karnataka, which would vote on May 10, Amit Shah said at a public meeting at Terdal in this district that only the BJP can lead the state towards a ‘New Karnataka.’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said if the Congress comes to power in Karnataka, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high in the state and it will be ‘afflicted with riots.’ The former BJP chief also said the development of the state will be in “reverse gear” if the Congress forms the government.

The controversial issue of Muslim girls wearing ‘hijab’ in educational institutions, which had hit national headlines last year with a government pre-university college in Udupi banning it inside classrooms, does not appear to be a serious campaign issue for the May 10 elections to the Karnataka Assembly.

The BJP government in the state had in an order last year banned wearing of hijab inside campuses after the controversy broke out, saying ‘any clothing that would disturb equality, integrity and public law and order’ will not be allowed.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said that the BJP despite knowing that Nandini is a cooperative fromt he the south, the party is trying to bring in Gujarat’s Amul.

While campaigning in poll-bound Karnataka, Priyanka Gandhi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party spoke about reservation but they cheated the people. “In Center, they have their own government then why didn’t they add it to the 9th Schedule? Here, they only do publicity but did nothing at Center,” added Gandhi.

Karnataka MLC SL Bhojegowda, who is from a faction of former CM HD Kumaraswamy, has shocked JDS. In a video, which has now gone viral on social media, Gowda is seen asking voters to vote in favour of Congress candidate of Chikmagalur constituency.

While campaigning for the party  in Bagalkote, Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah said that if Congress comes to power in Karnataka, there will be all-time high corruption, appeasement politics, familial politics and riots in the state.

While campaigning for the the BJP in Karnataka, Amit Shah said that the poll-bound state was badly affected by PFI and that Congress didn’t do anything about it for the past 70 years. He, however, lauded PM Modi’s efforts and said that the Prime Minister one morning put all of “them” in jail.

This Assembly election is not just to choose an MLA but to hand over the future of the state in to the hands of PM Modi. It is an election to make Karnataka a developed state and also bring political stability here, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Karnataka’s Bagalkote.

“We don’t want even a single Muslim vote,” said BJP leader and former Karnataka Minister KS Eshwarappa speaking on the issue of religious conversion at a Veerashaiva-Lingayat meeting in Shivamogga yesterday.

Karnataka Chief Minister & BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai campaigned in Hubli-Dharwad West Assembly constituency.

Supreme Court adjourns till May 9 hearing on plea challenging the Karnataka government’s decision to scrap 4% OBC reservation for Muslims.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has again assured that no admissions or appointments will take place on the basis of this government order till May 9