Karnataka Government Formation: Supreme Court tells BJP to face floor test tomorrow; top updates

While the Supreme Court resumed its hearing over the Karnataka government formation, the Congress observed ‘Save Democracy Day’ across the country. Catch all the updates here. 

Karnataka Elections Results 2018 » The Supreme Court on Friday held a hearing in the Karnataka government formation matter, directing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the state’s new chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa, must conduct the floor test on Saturday at 4 pm.

The hearing came after the apex court issued notices to the Karnataka government and BJP’s Yeddyurappa seeking their replies on the plea filed by the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) combine, which has opposed Yeddyurappa’s swearing-in and termed Governor Vajubhai Vala’s decision to invite the BJP to form the government as “unconstitutional”. Meanwhile, the Congress, for its part, observed ‘Save Democracy Day’ today across the country.

The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to place before it two communications sent by Yeddyurappa to Governor Vala in which he had staked claim to form the government, saying their perusal was necessary to decide the case. Among these communications to be furnished in court will be the letter of support from newly-elected legislators that Yeddyurappa submitted to the Governor. The Congress has argued that the letter submitted by Yeddyurappa has only 104 signatures, which is clearly short of the majority mark of 112-seats in the 222-member Assembly. The Congress-JD(S) had submitted a letter with 117 signatures.

On Thursday, Governor Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yeddyurappa at the Raj Bhavan in a morning ceremony. Vala has told Yeddyurappa to prove within 15 days that he has the majority in the Legislative Assembly. Although the BJP emerged as the single-largest party, winning 104 seats, in the May 12 assembly election, it fell short of eight seats from the 112-halfway mark in the lower House. The Congress trailed behind the saffron party with 78 seats and the regional JD(S) with 37 seats.

At a special pre-dawn hearing, a three-judge Bench of the apex court had rejected a joint writ petition, filed by the Congress and the JD(S) on Wednesday night, to halt the swearing-in of Yeddyurappa as Karnataka chief minister. However, the top court said Yeddyurappa’s swearing-in was subject to the final outcome of the matter before it.

Latest Updates on → Karnataka Government Formation

Karnataka Election Results 2018: 77 newly-elected MLAs have criminal background; BJP tops with 42

Out of the 77 newly-elected legislators who have declared criminal cases against themselves, 54 MLAs have declared serious criminal cases, like murder and attempt to murder.

Karnataka Election Results 2018 : There has been a steady rise in the number of MLAs with a criminal background in the Karnataka assembly. Among the 221 newly-elected MLAs, 77 (35%) have declared criminal cases against themselves, of which 54 MLAs have declared serious criminal cases, like murder and attempt to murder.

In 2013, the Karnataka assembly had 34% of MLAs having criminal cases against them, while in 2008, the proportion of elected MLAs with a criminal background was 24%.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has bagged the highest number of seats at 104, has 42 (41 per cent) MLAs with criminal backgrounds, followed by the Congress at 23 out of their 78 and 11 of the 37 elected legislators of the Janta Dal (Secular) have declared criminal cases against themselves.

When it comes to wealth, a majority of elected MLAs cutting across party lines have made the cut as millionaires, with 215 out of the 221 MLAs declaring assets of Rs 10 million and more.

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Also Read : Yeddyurappa takes oath as Karnataka Chief Minister

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Overall, almost 50% of the total number of elected MLAs have declared assets worth Rs 100 million and above. In comparison, out of the 218 MLAs analysed during Karnataka 2013 assembly elections, 203 (93%) MLAs were millionaires, while in 2008, the proportion of millionaires among elected legislators was 63%, said the ADR analysis.

The three MLAs with the highest assets are from the Congress – N Nagaraju (Rs 10.15 billion, D K Shivakumar (Rs 6.4 biilion), and Suresh B S (Rs 4.6 billion).

Reflecting a skewed gender balance, there are only seven women among the 222 newly elected legislators, compared with five in 2013.

When it comes to educational qualifications, 61 per cent or 135 of the elected legislators are graduates or above, 36 per cent or 80 of them have declared themselves as Class V-XII pass, one MLA has said he is ‘literate’ while one has not declared anything.

Age-wise, a majority of the 135 MLAs (61 per cent) are between 41 and 60 years old, 64 or 29 per cent are between 61 and 60 years old, only 15 MLAs are between 25 and 40 years old and three are above 80 years old.

Read More on → MLAs with Criminal Background

Karnataka Election Results 2018: Hung house in Karnataka; Congress and BJP spar over poaching rumors; Updates

After results to the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 threw up a hung Assembly on Tuesday, both BJP and Congress-JD(S) combine are targetting each other with allegations of poaching of legislators.

Karnataka Election Results 2018 : A day after the Karnataka Assembly election results threw up a fractured mandate, some members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were reported to be claiming that they were in touch with several of elected members of legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the Congress and the JD(S), and that the BJP would definitely form the next government in the state.

The BJP, apparently, is in talks with at least seven of the 10 Lingayat legislators of the Congress who are unhappy with the party for dividing the Lingayat community votes and are unwilling to accept Kumaraswamy, a Vokkaliga, as their chief minister. Sources in the BJP told Business Standard that the party was also in touch with about half a dozen JD(S) MLAs who might be willing to abstain from voting at the time of the floor test.

Congress leader D K Shivakumar, while talking to news agency ANI, said that the party had a plan and that they were facing a lot of pressure with the BJP trying to poach Congress MLAs.

Also Read : BJP Falls Short Of Majority; Cong-JD(S) Stitch Alliance

In the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 results, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, with 104 seats, but it fell short of the halfway mark of 112 in the 224-seat state Assembly by 9 seats. Congress ended up as the second-biggest with 78 seats, and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) stood third with 38 seats. The Congress and the JD(S) decided to come together to form a coalition government.

At present, the ball is in the court of Governor Vajubhai Vala, who will decide which side would be invited to form the next government. According to an NDTV report, both sides would meet the governor again on Wednesday to make their case stronger.

Karnataka Assembly election 2018 saw a record 72.36 per cent of the 50.7 million (5.07 crore) voters exercising their right to franchise. Of them, 27,908 electors in defence services voted through postal ballots. The Election Commission had deployed 16,662 personnel for counting of votes amid tight security.

Four of the seven polling agencies had predicted in their exit polls that the BJP would emerge as the single-largest party. While most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly with the BJP ahead, two had said the BJP would either come very close to or cross the halfway mark of 112 seats. The India Today-Axis exit poll had said the Congress might bag a majority. All exit polls had given the H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) nearly two dozen seats or more. The JD(S), however, beat that projection by bagging 37 seats.

READ MORE ON → Karnataka Results 2018

Karnataka Election Results 2018: Karnataka fate hangs in balance; BJP or Congress, who will have the last laugh?

While the BJP emerged single-largest, it was the JD(S) which turned kingmaker helping the Congress keep power in a crucial southern state.

Karnataka Election Results 2018 : Karnataka is headed for a spell of political instability as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged the single-largest party with 104 seats after the just-concluded Assembly elections, but could not reach the halfway mark of 112. The Congress, with 78 seats, acted with swiftness and agility, contacted the H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), with 38 seats, offered the smaller party chief ministership and stitched up an agreement to forestall an understanding between the JD(S) and the BJP.

At the time of filing this report, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala had remained non-committal on the claims of the parties, asking them to wait until the official tally is declared. Constitutional experts said the Governor was not obligated to call the single-largest party for a first stab at forming a government though the majority must be tested on the floor of the House.

As was widely expected, while the BJP emerged single-largest, it was the JD(S) which turned kingmaker, helping the Congress keep power in a crucial southern state. The BJP’s jubilant mood, when the initial results first poured in, turned to gloom as it became clear that the halfway mark was going to elude it. A scheduled press conference by party President Amit Shah was called off, a lunch party organised at the BJP headquarters was cancelled and drum players, who had congregated at the headquarters in Delhi, were asked to go home in a matter of hours. Bouquets of flower lay piled up forlornly at the headquarters, testifying to the disappointment of workers.

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Also Read : BJP vs Congress-JD(S): Karnataka’s fate now in Governor’s hands; highlights

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It was clear from initial reactions in Bengaluru and Delhi that the BJP was not interested in tying up with the JD(S) to form a government at any cost. The Congress, which had indicated on Monday that it was ready to be flexible about the top job (with former chief minister (CM) Siddaramaiah announcing that he was ready to accept a Dalit CM) got top leader Sonia Gandhi to call Gowda and persuade his son Kumaraswamy to become CM with the Congress’ backing to keep the BJP out. Although the JD(S) has roughly half the number of seats the Congress has, it grabbed the offer of chief ministership eagerly.

The BJP claimed it had the mandate to form the government. But the Congress and the JD(S), which together have a few seats more than the saffron party, retorted that they had got the mandate to prevent the BJP from forming a government. In a sense, the Congress did a BJP on the BJP. In Goa, Meghalaya, and Manipur elections in 2017, the BJP tied up with smaller parties and Independents under the nose of the Congress, though the party was single-largest, and managed to form a government, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. “The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Goa, Meghalaya, and Manipur that a single-largest party does not automatically qualify to form the government,” Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in defence of the Congress-JD(S) claim to form a government.

 Read More on → Karnataka Results 2018

Karnataka Election Results 2018 LIVE Updates: BJP leads in 67 seats, Cong in 42; top updates

Karnataka election result 2018 will be declared soon. Backing the exit polls, the satta bazaar is of the opinion that the Modi wave is still intact and it is betting big on a BJP win. LIVE updates.

Karnataka Election Results 2018 → BJP forged ahead leading in 107 seats while the ruling Congress was leading in 67 constituencies today in the Karnataka Assembly polls, according to initial trends.

JD(S) was leading in forty five seats, more than an hour after counting of votes. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was ahead in the Badami assembly constituency in north Karnataka, but trailing in Chamundeshwari in his home town Mysuru by over 11,000 votes against his main rival G T Deve Gowda of the JD(S). The BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, B S Yeddyurappa, was ahead in Shikaripura, and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy in Ramanagara. Prominent among those trailing include ministers Ramamnatha Rai from Bantwal and H C Mahadevappa from T Narasipura, the sources said. Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa from Shivamogga, senior most candidate in the electoral fray and minister Kagodu Timmappa from Sagara and the chief minister’s son, Yatindra, from Varuna were also leading over their rivals.

Karnataka election has been billed as the biggest political battle of 2018. The Bharatiya Janata Party ‘s(BJP’s) bid to reclaim the state has faced its toughest challenge from one man – chief minister Siddaramaiah, who looks to beat incumbency. Who will Karnataka pick? The voters have decided and the entire nation will know the Karnataka election 2018 result today.

Also Read → Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018

Meanwhile, four of the seven polling agencies predicted in their exit polls that the BJP would emerge the single-largest party today. While most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly with the BJP ahead, two said the BJP would either come very close to or cross the halfway mark of 112 seats, while the India Today-Axis exit poll said the Congress might bag a majority. All exit polls gave the H D Deve Gowda led Janata Dal (Secular) nearly two dozen seats or more, which could make it the kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.

A win for the Congress would boost the party’s morale for the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram in November-December, and for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It would also ensure that the party would not be reduced to ruling only one big state, Punjab, in the entire country. Apart from Punjab, the Congress has governments in only Puducherry and Mizoram.

Read More → Karnataka Election Results

Karnataka Election Results 2018 Live Updates: BJP takes early lead; top 10 developments

Karnataka election result 2018 will be declared soon. Backing the exit polls, the satta bazaar is of the opinion that the Modi wave is still intact and it is betting big on a BJP win. LIVE updates.

Karnataka Legislative Assembly Election 2018 - The high-stakes battle for the 222-seat Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday and India will soon know the outcome. The counting of votes is underway, and according to the procedure, postal ballots were counted first. Initial trends hint that Karnataka is headed for a hung Assembly. "All arrangements have been made for counting of votes in 222 seats from 8 am onwards at 38 centres in 30 districts, including five in Bengaluru where polling was held in 26 of the 28 segments," Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said.

A record 72.36 per cent of the 50.7 million electors cast their votes, with 27,908 in defence services exercising their franchise through postal ballots. The Election Commission has deployed 16,662 personnel for counting of votes amid tight security. "Postal ballots will be counted first before the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are opened," Kumar said.

Karnataka election has been billed as the biggest political battle of 2018. The Bharatiya Janata Party 's(BJP's) bid to reclaim the state has faced its toughest challenge from one man - chief minister Siddaramaiah, who looks to beat incumbency. Who will Karnataka pick? The voters have decided and the entire nation will know the Karnataka election 2018 result today.

Also Read → Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018

Meanwhile, four of the seven polling agencies predicted in their exit polls that the BJP would emerge the single-largest party today. While most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly with the BJP ahead, two said the BJP would either come very close to or cross the halfway mark of 112 seats, while the India Today-Axis exit poll said the Congress might bag a majority. All exit polls gave the H D Deve Gowda led Janata Dal (Secular) nearly two dozen seats or more, which could make it the kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.

A win for the Congress would boost the party’s morale for the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram in November-December, and for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It would also ensure that the party would not be reduced to ruling only one big state, Punjab, in the entire country. Apart from Punjab, the Congress has governments in only Puducherry and Mizoram.

No government in Karnataka since the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata Party in 1985 has been re-elected.

Read More → Karnataka Election Results 2018

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Rahul slams Narendra Modi over BJP leader bribery sting; updates

With just one more day to go for the Karnataka Assembly election, the voter ID card row continues while the Congress corners BJP over an alleged bribery sting. Catch all Karnataka polls updates here.

 

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » With voting just a day away, the BJP and Congress’ high-voltage campaign for the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 has ended. The campaigning in the run-up to the crucial polls saw everything from a cross-fire of barbs to a voter ID row.

On the last day, Congress President Rahul Gandhi slammed the Modi government for issues ranging from atrocities against Dalits to the country’s foreign policy as he expressed confidence in winning the Karnataka polls “hands down”. BJP President Amit Shah, meanwhile, accused the Congress of making desperate attempts to win the election in an “undemocratic” way, adding that such machinations would not work and that his party would win 130-plus seats.

On Saturday, voters in the state will decide who got it right.

The Congress’ candidate from Bengaluru’s Raja Rajeshwari Nagar Assembly segment has been booked in connection with the recovery of close to 10,000 voter ID cards from a flat there, along with over 100,000 counterfoils resembling acknowledgement slips used for addition of names into electoral rolls.

Further, the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday night deferred a decision on the recovery of voter ID cards from the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar flat, even as it sought fresh information from the state election machinery.

Of course, the end of the official election campaign at 5 pm on Thursday did not mean that the allegations and accusations also stopped. Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over allegations that BJP leader B Sriramulu had bribed former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan.

The accusation is based on a “sting” video showing the state BJP leader allegedly trying to bribe a kin of the former Chief Justice of India to get a favourable verdict for mining baron G Janardhana Reddy in an illegal mining case. State electoral authorities on Thursday directed TV news channels not to air the video.

The election in 223 of the 224 constituencies in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will be held on May 12, and the counting of votes and announcement of the result will take place on May 15. The election for one constituency has been postponed following the death of B N Vijay Kumar, the Jayanagar BJP candidate.

Get Latest Updates on → Karnataka Elections 2018

Karnataka Elections 2018: Campaigning ends today; voter ID row continues; updates

With Karnataka Assembly election 2018 now on their heads, the BJP and Congress have just one more day to convince and woo voters. Catch all the updates around the Karnataka election here

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » With the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 just two days away, the BJP and Congress’ high-voltage campaigning will come to an end on Thursday at 5 pm. Eyeing to sweep the crucial polls, the political parties will hold multiple rallies today in their last attempt to woo the voter. For the BJP, party president Amit Shah and the party’s chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa will be campaigning in the state today, while Congress President Rahul Gandhi and incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will campaign for their party on the final day.

Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Gandhi, the Karnataka election campaign has also seen political heavyweights Sonia Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaign for their respective parties.

The last day of campaigning for the Karnataka polls comes after Prime Minister Modi and Congress chief Gandhi were face-to-face in the state on the second last day for the campaigning. Working seriously on his ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’ mission, Modi used all of his oratory skills to lambast the Congress in his four election rallies on Wednesday. On the other hand, Gandhi said in his Basavanagudi rally that the people of Karnataka would reject Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. The Congress president also attacked the Prime Minister for being silent on the issue of alleged Dalit atrocities.

The election in Karnataka will be held on May 12 in 223 constituencies, out of the 224 constituencies of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while th e counting of votes and announcement of result will take place on May 15. The election for one constituency has been postponed following the death of B N Vijay Kumar, the Jayanagar BJP candidate.

Last day of Karnataka polls campaigning today: The high-voltage campaigning for the crucial Karnataka Assembly polls will come to an end on Thursday at 5 pm. The campaign has seen Modi, Shah, Adityanath, Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders square off against Congress chief Gandhi, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and Siddaramaiah, with both parties going hammer and tongs at each other over who has neglected farmers more and who has more corrupt candidates in the fray, among other topics of contention.

Also Read : Fake Voter ID Row

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Sonia Gandhi questions Modi’s ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ slogan

The Congress leader said,” Modi is a good orator and speaks like an actor but that would not feed people”.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » Holding her first election rally in two years, UPA chairperson president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Modi government of discriminating against Congress-ruled Karnataka, and questioned his slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’.

Launching a counteroffensive against the prime minister, who has relentlessly targeted the Siddaramaiah government over corruption, she wanted to know what happened to the institution of Lok Pal, the anti-graft watchdog that was proposed to be set up.

“The Modi government is discriminating against our government in Karnataka. Is this your ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ (together with all, development for all)?” she said.

The Congress leader said,” Modi is a good orator and speaks like an actor but that would not feed people.”

The much-awaited Lokpal Bill got the presidential assent in January 2014, providing for the creation of an anti-graft watchdog which will bring under its purview even the prime minister with certain safeguards. However, the institution is yet to be set up.

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Also Read :  Lok Sabha Elections 2019 : Ready to be PM if Congress comes to power, says Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of pursuing a ‘divide and rule’ policy on a day when Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he was ready to be prime minister if his party wins 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The day was also marked by the debut of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the Karnataka Assembly campaign and complaints by the Congress that the income-tax department was singling out the party’s leadership for raids.

The election campaign ends on Thursday and the state goes to the polls on Saturday. Counting will be held on May 15.

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Full Updates on → Karnataka Elections 2018

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Over 9,000 voter IDs seized from Bengaluru house; updates

Three days before Karnataka Assembly election 2018, a ‘fake’ voter ID row has erupted in the poll-bound state, with BJP and Congress accusing each other of involvement. Catch all the update here.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » Just three days before Karnataka Assembly election 2018, the Election Commission of Karnataka on Tuesday confirmed that its officials recovered 9,746 Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) from an apartment in Bengaluru’s Jalahalli area of the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency. Reacting to the development, the BJP demanded cancellation of polling in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar, accusing the Congress of trying to “rig” the polls. Congress hit back, saying that a BJP leader was the owner of the Bengaluru flat from where the ‘fake’ voter cards had been found.

The development came hours after former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced off against each other while campaigning in Karnataka. The prime minister and the UPA chairperson attacked each other with stinging barbs, with Modi accusing Gandhi and her son (Congress President) Rahul Gandhi of destroying Congress to save the “dynasty”, and Gandhi saying Modi’s speeches alone could not “fill empty stomachs”.

Polling in the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 will be held on May 12 and the results will be out on May 15.

Nearly 10,000 voter IDs seized from a Bengaluru flat: The Election Commission of Karnataka on Tuesday confirmed that they recovered 9,746 electors photo identity cards from an apartment in Bengaluru’s Jalahalli area, which falls under the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency. In a midnight briefing on Tuesday, Chief Electoral Officer for Karnataka Sanjiv Kumar said that according to the preliminary verification, the ID cards were of actual electors and appeared to be prima facie genuine.

Apart from the IDs, five laptops, one printer, and two large steel trunks with counterfoil strips resembling acknowledgement slips of Form 6 used for addition of names onto the electoral rolls were also recovered from the apartment during the raid. Kumar added that the significance of the counterfoils can only be verified after due investigation.

The state election commission added that an FIR has been registered in the matter and further investigations will be conducted on the same. It further assured that in the next 24 hours, when more information is available, firm action will be taken.

Read Full Updates here → Fake Voter ID Row

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Farmers are in distress but a loan waiver may not help

Karnataka’s farmers, battling drought and water shortage, have been under dire financial duress.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto for the Karnataka assembly elections 2018 released on May 4, 2018, declared that farm loans upto Rs 100,000 in nationalised banks and cooperative societies would be waived. A few days earlier, the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate and party state president B.S. Yeddyurappa promised a waiver of agriculture loans in both nationalised banks and cooperative societies if his party came to power, hoping, as a consequence, he said, for a 3-4% rise in vote share for his party.

As Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, running the only Congress government in southern India, tries to remain in favour of the electorate ahead of the May 12 elections to the state assembly, he has his task cut out. Among other steps, the government waived Rs 8,165 crore of farm loans from cooperative banks in 2017, claiming this would benefit more than 2.2 million farmers.

Rural Karnataka, which accounts for 154 (69%) of the state’s 224 legislative constituencies, has to remain the primary focus. Karnataka’s farmers, battling drought and water shortage, have been under dire financial duress, and how well the Siddaramaiah government is seen to handle this challenge will be among the factors that will determine a positive outcome for his government.

While the government is implementing the farm loan waiver, experts believe that the such a move will help in the short-run to win elections, but will not help in the welfare of farmers in the long term till agriculture is made more remunerative.

In both districts, families in which farmers had killed themselves said the ex-gratia compensation of Rs 500,000 had not diminished their loan burden, primarily because erratic rainfall and unremunerative prices have squeezed incomes, perpetuating dependence on moneylenders.

Nevertheless, the farmers and their families said they appreciated the support provided by the government in the form of loan waivers and ex-gratia compensation, despite delays in paying out monthly pensions. Farmers we spoke to in Yadgir said that they would vote for the present government, while in Mandya which has strong Vokkaliga (sect) presence and is a Janata Dal (Secular) stronghold, they are undecided, although they were not unhappy with the government.

Read more on → Karnataka Farmers

Karnataka Elections 2018: BJP fields most criminals, Congress the richest candidates

BJP at the first spot and Congress at second position in giving tickets to candidates with criminal background in Karnataka Assembly Election 2018. Catch latest updates on Karnataka polls 2018.

 

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is at the first spot and the Congress is at the second position in giving tickets to candidates with criminal background in the Karnataka Assembly Election 2018, says a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The top three candidates with highest assets among all the candidates in fray belong to the ruling Congress — Priyakrishna, from Govindarajanagar constituency with Rs 10.20 billion worth total assets, N Nagaraju from Hosakote Assembly seat with assets valued at Rs 10.15 billion and the state Energy Minister D K Shivakumar from Kanakapura segment with Rs 8.4 billion assets.

The ADR released the report after analysing the affidavits filed by 2,560 candidates, which said that 391 candidates declared criminal cases against themselves.

Of the total candidates, the watchdog could not analyse details of 95 candidates belonging to national, regional, local and fringe parties, as their affidavits were badly scanned or were incomplete on the websites of the karnataka polls panel and the Chief Electoral Officer of the southern state.

“Among major parties, 83 (37%) out of 224 candidates from BJP, 59 (27%) out of 220 candidates analysed from Indian Nataional Congress, 41 (21%) out of 199 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], 5 (20%) out of 25 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (United) [JD (U)] , 5 (19%) out of 27 candidates analysed from Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] and 108 (10%) out of 1090 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits,” said the report.

“There are 254 (10%) candidates who have declared serious criminal cases registered against themselves, four candidates have declared case related to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-302) against themselves, and 25 candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-307) against themselves,” said the report, adding that “23 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women”.

Read More on → BJP Candidates

Karnataka Elections 2018 : How Telugu vote may swing the ‘waveless’ election

About 15% of Karnataka’s population is estimated to be Telugu speaking and Telugu is the third most spoken language in Karnataka after Kannada and Urdu.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 »With less than 10 days left before the Assembly elections in Karnataka, politicians are busy slugging it out and political pundits are coming up with varied predictions on an everyday basis. Almost all opinion polls have predicted the possibility of Karnataka giving a fractured mandate and throwing up a hung assembly.

Pollsters agree that Karnataka is an extremely tough state to predict because of the different voting patterns of different regions, the caste equations, local issues etc. In the end, a swing of 1 or 2% of the votes can make all the difference.

The significance of Telugu votes

In a waveless election, where every seat is seeing cut-throat competition, a few thousand votes can decide who can emerge victorious. And in the bitter battle for Karnataka, Telugu votes will play a significant role.

Telugus are the third largest ethnic group in Karnataka. About 15% of Karnataka’s population is estimated to be Telugu speaking and Telugu is the third most spoken language in Karnataka after Kannada and Urdu.

Several districts in Karnataka share connections with Andhra Pradesh. In Raichur and Ballari, many farmers from Andhra Pradesh have taken up farming while the Hyderabad Karnataka region, which has 40 seats, has a Telangana connection.

At least 12 districts of Karnataka have a sizeable Telugu population – Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bidar, Bengaluru City and Bengaluru Rural. The four districts of Bidar, Kalaburagi, Kolar and Ballari have a significant share of almost 30% Telugu voters. While Bangalore Urban and Rural, have 49% and 65% Telugu-speaking population respectively, the figures for Kolar, Bellary and Raichur are 76%, 63% and 64% respectively.

Hyderabad-Karnataka districts have a historical and cultural connection with neighboring state of Telangana too.

Bengaluru, which accounts for 28 seats has about 25 lakh Telugu voters. Many businessmen, real estate agents, hotel owners, labourers and software industry professionals from Chittoor, Kurnool, Hindupur and Anantpur districts of Andhra Pradesh have settled in the Garden City. The presence of these Telugu voters is bound to influence the poll verdict.

Estimates suggest that these Telugu voters may be an influential factor in at least 40 assembly constituencies across the state. In the aftermath of the TDP exiting the NDA and Chandrababu Naidu blaming Narendra Modi for being insensitive towards the demands and needs of Telugus, it will be very interesting to see how they vote in Karnataka.

Read More on  → Karnataka Elections 2018

Karnataka Elections 2018: BJP fields 83, Congress 59 candidates with criminal background

The ADR released the report after analysing the affidavits filed by 2,560 candidates, which said that 391 candidates declared criminal cases against themselves.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is at the first spot and the Congress is at the second position in giving tickets to candidates with criminal background in the Karnataka Assembly Elections, says a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The ADR released the report after analysing the affidavits filed by 2,560 candidates, which said that 391 candidates declared criminal cases against themselves.

“Among major parties, 83 (37%) out of 224 candidates from BJP, 59 (27%) out of 220 candidates analysed from Indian Nataional Congress, 41 (21%) out of 199 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], 5 (20%) out of 25 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (United) [JD (U)] , 5 (19%) out of 27 candidates analysed from Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] and 108 (10%) out of 1090 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits,” said the report.

“There are 254 (10%) candidates who have declared serious criminal cases registered against themselves, four candidates have declared case related to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-302) against themselves, and 25 candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-307) against themselves,” said the report, adding that “23 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women”.

Red Alert Constituency:

• The report says that Red Alert constituencies are the constituencies which have three or more candidates with declared criminal cases.
• There are 56 (25%) red alert constituencies in the Karnataka Elections 2018, said the report.

 Crorepati Candidates:

• The ADR report says that around 35 percent of the analysed candidates are crorepatis. Out of the 2560 candidates analysed, 883 are crorepatis.
• Among major parties, 208(93%) out of 224 candidates from BJP, 207 (94%) out of 220 candidates analysed from Indian National Congress, 154(77%) out of 199 candidates analysed from JD(S), 13(52%) out of 25 candidates analysed from JD(U), 9(33%) out of 27 candidates analysed from AAP and 199 (18%) out of 1090 independent candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore.
• The average of assets per candidate contesting in the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 is Rs 7.54 crore.

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Karnataka Elections 2018: Narendra Modi chides Congress; Siddaramaiah reminds him of 'Reddy gang'

There is a fierce competition between the BJP and Congress for Karnataka Assembly election 2018. PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath will address rallies in Karnataka today. Catch Karnataka polls 2018 updates.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were in battleground Karnataka on Thursday, crossing swords over a plethora of issues including corruption, ahead of the May 12 voting to elect a new government in the state.

While Modi played a nationalism card and accused the Congress of promoting only one family, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at him for his “personal attacks” that “doesn’t behove” of a person holding a high office.

Modi alleged that the Congress had insulted the Indian Army by questioning the truth behind 2016 surgical strikes against terrorists in Pakistan. He said the Congress was spreading “lies” by accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being anti-Dalit, anti-Muslim and anti-women.

Seeking to give an adrenaline boost to BJP campaign to wrest the state from the Congress and form its government for a second time, Modi addressed three election meetings and Rahul Gandhi four during their whirlwind trip.

The Karnataka government is a “gold medalist” in corruption and Congress leaders are “drunk on power”, Modi told a public meeting in state capital Bengaluru.

Dubbing the Siddaramaiah government as “seedha rupaiah government” (corrupt), a punning allusion to the chief minister’s name, Modi said an ordinary man cannot get done any work without bribing officials. “Because of this seedha rupaiah government Karnataka is immersed in debt,” he told an election rally in Ballari.

In the line of Congress fire over the BJP granting party tickets to Reddy brothers, accused of involvement in a humongous illegal iron ore mining scam, the prime minister hit back. “This Karnataka government frustrated all attempts by the Centre to stop illegal mining in Ballari….to allow the auction of mining blocks. But the Siddaramaiah government failed to formulate a mining policy in five years,” he told an election rally in Ballari.

Rahul Gandhi, who addressed election rallies in Aurad, Bhaki, Humnabad and Bidar, slammed Modi for personal attacks against him. Gandhi, however, said whether the attacks on him were right or wrong, he would not make any personal attack on Modi because he was the prime minister.

He questioned his silence over the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal and fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi who defrauded the Punjab National Bank of thousands of crores of rupees.

Rahul Gandhi said Modi had promised to deposit Rs 1.5 million (Rs 15 lakh) each in poor citizens’ bank accounts but didn’t do it. Gandhi said Modi also promised 20 million (two crore) jobs to the youth every year and higher minimum support price to farmers but he did none of this.

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