Karnataka Assembly Election dates announced latest updates: The Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday evening that it has set up a panel to investigate the leak of Karnataka election dates. The committee will submit its report in seven days and due action will be taken against those found guilty after that.
A massive twitter was has erupted after Rahul Gandhi mocked Amit Shah after he mistakenly called BS Yeddyurappa corrupt. BJP's Karnataka unit's twitter handle put out tweets addressed to Rahul Gandhi calling him silly for wanting to base his party's campaign on a mistake. ECI has set up a committee to look into the poll date leak issue.
BJP national IT cell chief Amit Malviya wrote to the election commission clarifying his tweet before the poll dates were announced. He said that that his party did not have any special access to election commission sources and he merely saw it on TV before taking to twitter. He also said that a Congress functionary also got the dates at the same time.
Rahul Gandhi took to twitter to mock Amit Shah after he mistakenly called Yeddyurappa corrupt, while he in fact meant to come down on Siddaramaiah. The Congress president also wittily managed to compress a comeback at the saffron party's IT cell chief Amit Malviya in the same tweet.
BJP leaders will meet the Election Commission at 2.30 pm after a controversy broke out over Amit Malviya's tweet, who tweeted out the dates of election and counting before the poll panel could announce them.
The Election Commission on Tuesday announced that voting to elect a new Karnataka Assembly will be held on 12 May and results will be declared on 15 May, setting the ball rolling for one of the most prestigious battles between the Congress and the BJP.
"It will be a single phase election," Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat told reporters here. He said the date of notification is April 17 and the last date to file nominations is 24 April. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on 25 April and the last day for withdrawal is 27 April. He said the model code of conduct came into effect immediately in the state which will also be applicable to the central government. The polling will take place on 12 May and counting will be held three days later on 15 May, he said.
Rawat said VVPAT machines, apart from EVMs, will be deployed in Karnataka for the polls. The 224-member Assembly expires on 28 May in the state where the Congress is currently in power, with 122 seats against the BJP's 43. Karnataka is one of the eight states where polls were scheduled this year. Elections to three northeastern states were held last month.
Here are the important dates for Karnataka elections:
17 April, 2018: Issue of notification
24 April, 2018: Last date of nomination
25 April, 2018: Date of scrutiny
27 April, 2018: Last date of withdrawal of candidates
12 May, 2018: Date of Polling
15 May, 2018: Counting of votes
Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat was addressing the media in New Delhi and said that the model code of conduct will come into effect immediately after the dates are announced. The elections are expected to be single phase. The elections are politically crucial for the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah as well as the BJP as it is the only big state where the Grand Old Party is in power after losing a string of assembly polls to the saffron party in the last few years.
The high-octane political campaigns which have been ongoing for past couple of months witnessed both the Congress and the BJP slugging it out alleging each other of communal politics. The tenure of the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly expires on 28 May and the new House has to be constituted before that.
The last state elections were held in the first week of May in 2008. The elections are being seen politically crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP as it is the only big state where the former is in power after losing a string of assembly elections to the saffron party in the last few years.
File image of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa. Getty Images and PTI
The BJP is making a concerted bid to unseat the Congress. Beside, the Congress and the BJP, the JD(S) led by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda is the third player in the fray. The high-octane political campaigns which have been ongoing for past couple of months witnessed both the Congress and the BJP slugging it out alleging each other of communal politics. The tenure of the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly expires on 28 May and the new House has to be constituted before that.
Incumbent Siddaramaiah-led Congress government is eyeing a second term in the state. The BJP, which is currently in power in 20 states, is trying to add a 21st state to the list. A win in Karnataka would be a massive boost for the BJP as the saffron party has been eyeing South India for a while now.The Congress government's decision, political observers have said, is aimed at denting the vote bank of the BJP, which has declared BS Yeddyurappa its chief ministerial candidate. Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) is the third party in the fray.
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Updated Date: Mar 27, 2018 21:07:43 IST
Highlights
Election Commission's probe committee to submit report in seven days
The Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday evening that it has set up a panel to investigate the leak of Karnataka election dates. The committee will submit its report in seven days and due action will be taken against those found guilty after that.
ECI sets up probe panel to investigate poll date leak issue
Resurgent Siddaramaiah pinches BS Yeddyurappa, BJP through smart online avatar
Siddaramaiah did not let go of this momentary lapse to score brownie points. His Twitter handle put out the video, with the line "The #ShahofLies finally speaks truth" cleverly editing the bit where Shah corrects his mistake.
This is the new reinvented avatar of Siddaramaiah. In IT city Bengaluru lingo, his 2.0 version. Though it is obvious that a 24x7 hands on the keypad backend team is operating the chief minister's account, it has succeeded in giving Siddaramaiah a much-needed makeover. Always good at working the crowds, Siddaramaiah in his new avatar, is more pugnacious and using his new playground of social media space rather well. Read more here.
Siddaramaiah govt is the most corrupt govt and its days are now numbered: Amit Shah
Congress doesn't expect "too much" of electoral gain on Lingayat issue, says Karnataka PCC chief
Twitter war erupts after Rahul Gandhi mocks Amit Shah for slip of tongu
The BJP's Karnataka unit has taken to twitter to slam Rahul Gandhi for latching on to the mistake made by Amit Shah. The party tweeted a compilation video of all the times Siddaramaiah has misspoken in the past. They put out another video of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi as well.
EC to use VVPATs at all electronic voting machines in Karnataka
Looking at the controversy that surrounded the veracity of EVMs in the past, the Election Commission of India announced that all electronic voting machines will be equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines.
BJP IT cell chief quotes Time Now in his defence for breaking poll dates before EC
Here's the copy of Amit Malviya's letter to Election Commission
Image Courtesy: Twitter @BJP4India
Recap: Important dates for Karnataka Elections
17 April, 2018: Issue of notification
24 April, 2018: Last date of nomination
25 April, 2018: Date of scrutiny
27 April, 2018: Last date of withdrawal of candidates
12 May, 2018: Date of Polling
15 May, 2018: Counting of votes
Amit Malviya writes to Election Commission, blames TV channel
BJP's IT cell head Amit malviya has written to the Election Commission seeking to clarify his tweet that predicted poll dates before formal announcement. He said that he sourced the information from a TV channel's reportage and said a Congress staffer also put out a tweet at the same time.
Rajnath Singh says BJP will win Karnataka polls
"BJP will get clear majority in the upcoming elections in Karnataka. No divisive politics will work this time," Rajnath Singh told reporters outside Parliament.
Now Rahul Gandhi mocks Amit Shah's slip of tongue
Amit Malviya tweeted election dates last evening as well: Reports
The controversy over Amit Malviya's tweet announcing (wrong) election dates before the poll panel did so refuses to die down, even as BJP claimed that the information was sourced from Times Now TV channel.
However, what the party could not explain was a similar tweet by Malviya that was posted on Mondya night. According to India Today, the party's national IT cell chief had put out a similar tweet announcing election dates last night as well, but it was promptly withdrawn. The TV channel also reported that a Kannada channel, owned by a BJP MP, also had the same information.
Firstpost could not independently verify this information but prominent journalists have tweeted about this.
BJP claims Amit Malviya's tweet was sourced from TV channel, says party had no intention to undermine EC's authority
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi met the Election Commission and said that the party had no intentions to undermine the poll panel's authority. He said that a Congress staffer has also tweeted at the same time and the information in the tweet was sourced from Times Now.
BJP delegation reaches at EC office in connection with controversy over Amit Malviya's tweet
Both BJP, Congress staffers tweeted (wrong) poll dates before EC announcements
The fact that BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted out the Karnataka election dates was widely reported and the party got trolled for it. However, as The Print journalist Ruhi Tewari pointed out, a Karnataka Congress staffer also tweeted out the election dates at the same time as Malviya.
Incidentally, both him and Malviya got the polling date right but missed the counting date.
Siddaramaiah latches on to Amit Shah's blooper, calls mistake 'moment of truth'
Meanwhile... Amit Shah mistakenly calls BS Yeddyurappa corrupt
Amit Shah, while speaking to reporters, mistakenly called BS Yeddyurappa corrupt, while he perhaps meant Siddaramaiah. "I am not saying this, a retired Supreme Court judge has said this that Yeddyurappa government is the most corrupt government," Shah accidentally said before someone promptly corrected him and he amended his statement.
However, the damage was already done it seems as the Congress party was quick to latch on to the blooper as they termed the mistake Amit Shah's moment of truth.
BJP leaders to meet poll panel after controversy over Amit malviya's tweet
After a controversy erupted over BJP's national IT cell head Amit Malviya's tweet, BJP leaders are going to meet the poll panel shortly. Malviya had tweeted about the dates of the Karnataka Assembly election before the Election Commission announced it through a press conference.
Congress stormed to power in 2013 with 122 seats
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly comprises two Houses, a Lower House, and an Upper House. The Lower House is the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) and the Upper House is called the Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad). The Assembly is bicameral with 224 seats.
The Karnataka Assembly elections in 2013 had witnessed the Congress storming to power with 122 seats after seven years, landing a huge blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which suffered a loss at the hands of a fractious split and corruption charges.
BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya tweets Karnataka poll dates before EC announcement, faces flak
BJP's national Information and Technology cell head Amit Malviya landed the saffron party in a controversy on Tuesday when he tweeted about the dates of the Karnataka Assembly election before the Election Commission announced it through a press conference.
Even though Malviya seems to have deleted the tweet now, journalists questioned Malviya on how he got to know about the Karnataka poll dates before the Election Commission announced them.
Read full report here
Here's the full poll schedule as announced by Election Commission
Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat announced the poll schedule while addressing the media on Tuesday afternoon.
Karnataka is one of only three states to be ruled by the Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), fresh from victory in Tripura last month, has been targeting the South Indian state aggressively. Karnataka has traditionally voted anti-incumbency, and if the Congress government of Siddaramaiah does manage to win, it would be the first time in nearly two decades that a party has bucked anti-incumbency to retain power.
Here are the key dates as part of the Assembly election schedule:
Issue of notification: 17 April, 2018
Last date of nominations: 24 April, 2018
Date of scrutiny: 25 April, 2018
Last date of withdrawal of candidates: 27 April, 2018
Date of polling: 12 May, 2018
Date of counting of votes: 15 May, 2018
Karnataka to vote on 12 May, counting of votes on 15 May: All you need to know about these elections
With the announcement of the dates for the Karnataka Assembly elections by the Election Commission, the political battle for power in the state is set to intensify. The state elections are crucial for the Congress following election defeats in the North East. The tenure of the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly expires on 28 May and the new House has to be constituted before that.
Read full report here
Certain things may have leaked for which Election Commission will take appropriate action: Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat
After journalists questioned the Chief Election Commissioner on Amit Malaviya's tweet, CEC Rawat said it will be investigated. "Be assured that actions legally and administratively befitting will be taken," Rawat said. Journalists questioned how BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya had the dates of Karnataka elections on social media even before the official announcement.
Amit Shah slams Siddarmaiah govt over farmers issue
Amit Malaviya 'guesses' Karnataka poll dates at least 40 minutes before Election Commission announces them
Journalists question CEC over Amit Malaviya's tweet
After journalists questioned CEC regarding Amit Malviya's tweet stating the date of voting as 12 May and date of counting as 18 May , Om Prakash Rawat said that the matter will "definitely be investigated" and strict action will be taken.
Important dates for Karnataka Assembly Election 2018
17 April, 2018: Issue of notification
24 April, 2018: Last date of nomination
25 April, 2018: Date of scrutiny
27 April, 2018: Last date of withdrawal of candidates
12 May, 2018: Date of Polling
15 May, 2018: Counting of votes
No ceiling on expenditure for political parties, says Election Commission
CEC Rawat said per candidate has been allotted Rs 28 lakh for expenditure. "I urge my media friends to ensure that any wrongdoings or aberrations are highlighted," Rawat said.
Model Code of Conduct will come into effect immediately, says CEC
Model Code of Conduct for the elections will come into effect immediately. Eco-friendly material should be used for all propaganda exercise. Use of loud speakers will be regulated so that people can sleep at night. Loud speakers won't be allowed from 10 pm to 6 am, says CEC Om Prakash Rawat.
Commission has decided to deploy CRPF to ensure people refrain from indulging in violent activities: CEC
VVPAT will be there for all EVMs in this election: CEC Om Prakash Rawat
Accessible polls is the theme for Karnataka polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rawat said.
Election Commission starts press conference
Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said that the total number of electorate in Karnataka is 4.96 crores. "Total number of polling stations in the state is 56,696 which is an increase of 9 percent from last Assembly elections," Rawat said.
60 lakh new voters enrolled as new voters across Karnataka in February
In February, chief electoral officer had announced that nearly 60 lakh people have enrolled as new voters across Karnataka ahead of the 15th Assembly elections, due in early May.
"The number of new voters across the state has increased by 60 lakh, taking the total number of the electorate to 4.96 crore as per the tentative electoral rolls as against 4.36 crore voters in 2013 assembly elections," state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar said. According to the tentative electoral rolls, the number of male voters is 2.51 crore and female voters 2.44 crore.
"You stood by my grandmother during her toughest days: Rahul in Karnataka
Apart from continuing his temple visits, Rahul held two mega rallies, one in Indira Gandhi's old constituency Chikmagalur, and another in Hassan. In a hard hitting attack on the BJP, Rahul accused it of spreading violence, forming governments using money and dividing the country for the sake of power. He also lashed out at Modi, charging him with "insulting" the common man by claiming credit for the country's progress.
Rahul had invoked his grandmother Indira Gandhi as he sought people's blessings for his party's victory in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. "You stood by my grandmother during her toughest days (1977-79) and helped her achieve a historic win in the Lok Sabha by-election from here in 1978," said Gandhi at a public rally in the coffee-growing district.
After Rahul, Amit Shah embarks on temple tour in Karnataka
After Congress president Rahul Gandhi's whirlwind tour of temples in Malnad, coastal and south Karnataka, BJP president Amit Shah is on a tour to south central Karnataka. Keeping Siddaramaiah government's decision to accord separate religion tag to Lingayats in mind, Shah has carefully planned his tour. During his trip on Monday and Tuesday, he will cover four important Lingayat mutts in the state.
On Monday, the BJP chief said that the Congress government's move to give separate religious minority status to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats was aimed at preventing BS Yeddyurappa from becoming the chief minister in Karnataka. Yeddyurappa is considered a Lingayat strongman.
Amit Shah's two-day Karnataka tour
BJP president Amit Shah will be touring Karnataka for two days starting Monday during which he will visit mutts associated with the Lingayat and Dalit communities.
Besides visiting a number of mutts associated with various communities, including Lingayats and Dalits, Shah will also address farmers' and traders' meetings, take out a road show and attend party events in the poll-bound state, a BJP statement said.
The last Karnataka elections were held in the first week of May in 2013
The polls are being seen politically crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP as it is the only big state where the former is in power after losing a string of assembly elections to the saffron party in the last few years.
Karnataka - one of the few states where the Congress is still in power
Karnataka is one of the few states where the Congress is in power. It is also the only state in south India where the BJP had been able to form a government.
Election Commission to announce Karnataka Assembly election dates at 11 am today
18:55 (IST)
Election Commission's probe committee to submit report in seven days
The Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday evening that it has set up a panel to investigate the leak of Karnataka election dates. The committee will submit its report in seven days and due action will be taken against those found guilty after that.
18:10 (IST)
ECI sets up probe panel to investigate poll date leak issue
18:06 (IST)
Resurgent Siddaramaiah pinches BS Yeddyurappa, BJP through smart online avatar
Siddaramaiah did not let go of this momentary lapse to score brownie points. His Twitter handle put out the video, with the line "The #ShahofLies finally speaks truth" cleverly editing the bit where Shah corrects his mistake.
This is the new reinvented avatar of Siddaramaiah. In IT city Bengaluru lingo, his 2.0 version. Though it is obvious that a 24x7 hands on the keypad backend team is operating the chief minister's account, it has succeeded in giving Siddaramaiah a much-needed makeover. Always good at working the crowds, Siddaramaiah in his new avatar, is more pugnacious and using his new playground of social media space rather well. Read more here.
17:52 (IST)
Siddaramaiah govt is the most corrupt govt and its days are now numbered: Amit Shah
17:40 (IST)
Congress doesn't expect "too much" of electoral gain on Lingayat issue, says Karnataka PCC chief
17:29 (IST)
Karnataka BJP calls Rahul Gandhi silly for wanting to base his campaign on a mistake
17:21 (IST)
Twitter war erupts after Rahul Gandhi mocks Amit Shah for slip of tongu
The BJP's Karnataka unit has taken to twitter to slam Rahul Gandhi for latching on to the mistake made by Amit Shah. The party tweeted a compilation video of all the times Siddaramaiah has misspoken in the past. They put out another video of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi as well.
16:44 (IST)
EC to use VVPATs at all electronic voting machines in Karnataka
Looking at the controversy that surrounded the veracity of EVMs in the past, the Election Commission of India announced that all electronic voting machines will be equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines.
16:26 (IST)
BJP IT cell chief quotes Time Now in his defence for breaking poll dates before EC
16:21 (IST)
Here's the copy of Amit Malviya's letter to Election Commission
Image Courtesy: Twitter @BJP4India
16:17 (IST)
Recap: Important dates for Karnataka Elections
17 April, 2018: Issue of notification
24 April, 2018: Last date of nomination
25 April, 2018: Date of scrutiny
27 April, 2018: Last date of withdrawal of candidates
12 May, 2018: Date of Polling
15 May, 2018: Counting of votes
16:05 (IST)
Amit Malviya writes to Election Commission, blames TV channel
BJP's IT cell head Amit malviya has written to the Election Commission seeking to clarify his tweet that predicted poll dates before formal announcement. He said that he sourced the information from a TV channel's reportage and said a Congress staffer also put out a tweet at the same time.
16:02 (IST)
Rajnath Singh says BJP will win Karnataka polls
"BJP will get clear majority in the upcoming elections in Karnataka. No divisive politics will work this time," Rajnath Singh told reporters outside Parliament.
15:28 (IST)
Now Rahul Gandhi mocks Amit Shah's slip of tongue
15:24 (IST)
Amit Malviya tweeted election dates last evening as well: Reports
The controversy over Amit Malviya's tweet announcing (wrong) election dates before the poll panel did so refuses to die down, even as BJP claimed that the information was sourced from Times Now TV channel.
However, what the party could not explain was a similar tweet by Malviya that was posted on Mondya night. According to India Today, the party's national IT cell chief had put out a similar tweet announcing election dates last night as well, but it was promptly withdrawn. The TV channel also reported that a Kannada channel, owned by a BJP MP, also had the same information.
Firstpost could not independently verify this information but prominent journalists have tweeted about this.
15:13 (IST)
BJP claims Amit Malviya's tweet was sourced from TV channel, says party had no intention to undermine EC's authority
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi met the Election Commission and said that the party had no intentions to undermine the poll panel's authority. He said that a Congress staffer has also tweeted at the same time and the information in the tweet was sourced from Times Now.
15:00 (IST)
BJP delegation reaches at EC office in connection with controversy over Amit Malviya's tweet
14:55 (IST)
Both BJP, Congress staffers tweeted (wrong) poll dates before EC announcements
The fact that BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted out the Karnataka election dates was widely reported and the party got trolled for it. However, as The Print journalist Ruhi Tewari pointed out, a Karnataka Congress staffer also tweeted out the election dates at the same time as Malviya.
Incidentally, both him and Malviya got the polling date right but missed the counting date.
14:36 (IST)
Siddaramaiah latches on to Amit Shah's blooper, calls mistake 'moment of truth'
14:24 (IST)
Meanwhile... Amit Shah mistakenly calls BS Yeddyurappa corrupt
Amit Shah, while speaking to reporters, mistakenly called BS Yeddyurappa corrupt, while he perhaps meant Siddaramaiah. "I am not saying this, a retired Supreme Court judge has said this that Yeddyurappa government is the most corrupt government," Shah accidentally said before someone promptly corrected him and he amended his statement.
However, the damage was already done it seems as the Congress party was quick to latch on to the blooper as they termed the mistake Amit Shah's moment of truth.
14:17 (IST)
BJP leaders to meet poll panel after controversy over Amit malviya's tweet
After a controversy erupted over BJP's national IT cell head Amit Malviya's tweet, BJP leaders are going to meet the poll panel shortly. Malviya had tweeted about the dates of the Karnataka Assembly election before the Election Commission announced it through a press conference.
12:17 (IST)
Congress stormed to power in 2013 with 122 seats
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly comprises two Houses, a Lower House, and an Upper House. The Lower House is the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) and the Upper House is called the Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad). The Assembly is bicameral with 224 seats.
The Karnataka Assembly elections in 2013 had witnessed the Congress storming to power with 122 seats after seven years, landing a huge blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which suffered a loss at the hands of a fractious split and corruption charges.
12:12 (IST)
BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya tweets Karnataka poll dates before EC announcement, faces flak
BJP's national Information and Technology cell head Amit Malviya landed the saffron party in a controversy on Tuesday when he tweeted about the dates of the Karnataka Assembly election before the Election Commission announced it through a press conference.
Even though Malviya seems to have deleted the tweet now, journalists questioned Malviya on how he got to know about the Karnataka poll dates before the Election Commission announced them.
Read full report here
12:03 (IST)
Here's the full poll schedule as announced by Election Commission
Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat announced the poll schedule while addressing the media on Tuesday afternoon.
Karnataka is one of only three states to be ruled by the Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), fresh from victory in Tripura last month, has been targeting the South Indian state aggressively. Karnataka has traditionally voted anti-incumbency, and if the Congress government of Siddaramaiah does manage to win, it would be the first time in nearly two decades that a party has bucked anti-incumbency to retain power.
Here are the key dates as part of the Assembly election schedule:
Issue of notification: 17 April, 2018
Last date of nominations: 24 April, 2018
Date of scrutiny: 25 April, 2018
Last date of withdrawal of candidates: 27 April, 2018
Date of polling: 12 May, 2018
Date of counting of votes: 15 May, 2018
11:58 (IST)
Karnataka to vote on 12 May, counting of votes on 15 May: All you need to know about these elections
With the announcement of the dates for the Karnataka Assembly elections by the Election Commission, the political battle for power in the state is set to intensify. The state elections are crucial for the Congress following election defeats in the North East. The tenure of the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly expires on 28 May and the new House has to be constituted before that.
Read full report here
11:50 (IST)
Certain things may have leaked for which Election Commission will take appropriate action: Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat
After journalists questioned the Chief Election Commissioner on Amit Malaviya's tweet, CEC Rawat said it will be investigated. "Be assured that actions legally and administratively befitting will be taken," Rawat said. Journalists questioned how BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya had the dates of Karnataka elections on social media even before the official announcement.
11:47 (IST)
Amit Shah slams Siddarmaiah govt over farmers issue
11:41 (IST)
Amit Malaviya 'guesses' Karnataka poll dates at least 40 minutes before Election Commission announces them
11:34 (IST)
Journalists question CEC over Amit Malaviya's tweet
After journalists questioned CEC regarding Amit Malviya's tweet stating the date of voting as 12 May and date of counting as 18 May , Om Prakash Rawat said that the matter will "definitely be investigated" and strict action will be taken.
11:28 (IST)
Important dates for Karnataka Assembly Election 2018
17 April, 2018: Issue of notification
24 April, 2018: Last date of nomination
25 April, 2018: Date of scrutiny
27 April, 2018: Last date of withdrawal of candidates
12 May, 2018: Date of Polling
15 May, 2018: Counting of votes
11:21 (IST)
WATCH: Election Commission raises awareness around VVPAT
11:18 (IST)
No ceiling on expenditure for political parties, says Election Commission
CEC Rawat said per candidate has been allotted Rs 28 lakh for expenditure. "I urge my media friends to ensure that any wrongdoings or aberrations are highlighted," Rawat said.
11:14 (IST)
Model Code of Conduct will come into effect immediately, says CEC
Model Code of Conduct for the elections will come into effect immediately. Eco-friendly material should be used for all propaganda exercise. Use of loud speakers will be regulated so that people can sleep at night. Loud speakers won't be allowed from 10 pm to 6 am, says CEC Om Prakash Rawat.
11:12 (IST)
Commission has decided to deploy CRPF to ensure people refrain from indulging in violent activities: CEC
11:10 (IST)
VVPAT will be there for all EVMs in this election: CEC Om Prakash Rawat
Accessible polls is the theme for Karnataka polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rawat said.
11:09 (IST)
Election Commission starts press conference
Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said that the total number of electorate in Karnataka is 4.96 crores. "Total number of polling stations in the state is 56,696 which is an increase of 9 percent from last Assembly elections," Rawat said.
10:50 (IST)
60 lakh new voters enrolled as new voters across Karnataka in February
In February, chief electoral officer had announced that nearly 60 lakh people have enrolled as new voters across Karnataka ahead of the 15th Assembly elections, due in early May.
"The number of new voters across the state has increased by 60 lakh, taking the total number of the electorate to 4.96 crore as per the tentative electoral rolls as against 4.36 crore voters in 2013 assembly elections," state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar said. According to the tentative electoral rolls, the number of male voters is 2.51 crore and female voters 2.44 crore.
10:45 (IST)
"You stood by my grandmother during her toughest days: Rahul in Karnataka
Apart from continuing his temple visits, Rahul held two mega rallies, one in Indira Gandhi's old constituency Chikmagalur, and another in Hassan. In a hard hitting attack on the BJP, Rahul accused it of spreading violence, forming governments using money and dividing the country for the sake of power. He also lashed out at Modi, charging him with "insulting" the common man by claiming credit for the country's progress.
Rahul had invoked his grandmother Indira Gandhi as he sought people's blessings for his party's victory in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. "You stood by my grandmother during her toughest days (1977-79) and helped her achieve a historic win in the Lok Sabha by-election from here in 1978," said Gandhi at a public rally in the coffee-growing district.
10:44 (IST)
After Rahul, Amit Shah embarks on temple tour in Karnataka
After Congress president Rahul Gandhi's whirlwind tour of temples in Malnad, coastal and south Karnataka, BJP president Amit Shah is on a tour to south central Karnataka. Keeping Siddaramaiah government's decision to accord separate religion tag to Lingayats in mind, Shah has carefully planned his tour. During his trip on Monday and Tuesday, he will cover four important Lingayat mutts in the state.
On Monday, the BJP chief said that the Congress government's move to give separate religious minority status to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats was aimed at preventing BS Yeddyurappa from becoming the chief minister in Karnataka. Yeddyurappa is considered a Lingayat strongman.
10:09 (IST)
Amit Shah's two-day Karnataka tour
BJP president Amit Shah will be touring Karnataka for two days starting Monday during which he will visit mutts associated with the Lingayat and Dalit communities.
Besides visiting a number of mutts associated with various communities, including Lingayats and Dalits, Shah will also address farmers' and traders' meetings, take out a road show and attend party events in the poll-bound state, a BJP statement said.
09:50 (IST)
The last Karnataka elections were held in the first week of May in 2013
The polls are being seen politically crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP as it is the only big state where the former is in power after losing a string of assembly elections to the saffron party in the last few years.
09:48 (IST)
Karnataka - one of the few states where the Congress is still in power
Karnataka is one of the few states where the Congress is in power. It is also the only state in south India where the BJP had been able to form a government.
09:47 (IST)
Election Commission to announce Karnataka Assembly election dates at 11 am today