Karnataka: Polling for Rajarajeshwari Nagar deferred to 28 May, counting to take place on 31 May

The polling for Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Karnataka has been deferred by the Election Commission, according to reports. Polling for the seat will now be held on 28 May and the counting will take place on 31 May. [caption id=“attachment_4400789” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The Election Commission on Thursday night deferred the decision on the recovery of nearly 10,000 voter I-cards from a flat in Rajrajeshwari Nagar Assembly seat of poll-bound Karnataka even as it sought fresh information from the state election machinery. Highly-placed sources in the Commission had said prima facie it seems that most of the voter I-cards recovered were “genuine”. But the reason as to why they were found in the flat is still being ascertained. The Commission, the sources had said, deliberated on the issue and decided to seek more information from the state election administration before arriving at a conclusion. “Now we have to ensure that genuine voters can cast their votes using voter slips distributed to electors. Also, the state election commission has to ensure that no voter is intimidated,” an official had said on Thursday. The recovery of voter cards prompted the BJP to demand countermanding of the election claiming the Congress was behind the racket, a charge dismissed by the latter as a “lie”. Karnataka chief electoral officer Sanjiv Kumar had told a press conference that two persons had been arrested. With Karnataka going to poll on Saturday, the BJP and the Congress, the two main contenders for power, went after each other claiming that the flat — from where the cards were recovered — belonged to a woman associated with the rival party. With inputs from PTI