Karnataka election- Rahul slams Modi over BJP leader bribery sting 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
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.
Here are the top 10 developments around the Karnataka Assembly election 2018: 1) Rahul Gandhi says Modi, Yeddyurappa getting ready to 'loot Karnataka', cites 'sting' video: Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Modi, alleging that BJP's B Sriramulu had bribed former CJI Balakrishnan, seeking an order favouring a mining company owned by G Janardhan Reddy. Levelling the charge, the Congress party also demanded a highlevel inquiry into the matter. 2) Authorities direct TV channels not to air 'sting' video of BJP leader: TV news channels were on Thursday directed by state electoral authorities not to air the "sting" video showing BJP's Sriramulu allegedly trying to bribe a kin of former CJI Balakrishnan for a favourable verdict for mining baron G Janardhana Reddy. The direction came hours after State Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy called what the Congress described as an 'explosive press conference' and released the video clippings which were in circulation on social media. 3) Who is BJP's B Sriramulu and how is he connected to Reddy brothers? Sriramulu is a confidant of tainted mining baron and owner of Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) Janardhana Reddy, according to news agencies. He is contesting from two constituencies -- Molakalmuru and Badami -- in the May 12 Karnataka Assembly polls. In Badami, he is pitted against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. 4) Janardhana Reddy's Obalapuram mining case explained: Janardhan Reddy-owned Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC) was involved in an illegal mining controversy, wherein they removed boundary pillars between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (AP). In November 2009, the Government of AP issued an order prohibiting OMC's illegal mining operations. 5) Amit Shah says do not believe 'fake stings', BJP has no links with Janardhana Reddy: When asked about the purported sting videos, BJP president Amit Shah said at a press conference, "Do not believe in such fake stings which make rounds now and then."The Congress has been criticising the BJP and Prime Minister Modi for their decision to give tickets to eight persons from the Reddy "camp", including his brothers G Somashekara Reddy and G Karunakara Reddy.
6) Bengaluru Congress contestant booked in voter ID card case: Congress candidate N Munirathna Naidu from Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari Nagar Assembly segment has been booked in connection with the recovery of about 10,000 voter ID cards from a flat, along with over a 100,000 counterfoils of acknowledgement slips, police said on Thursday. Naidu is also an outgoing legislator of the ruling party from the same constituency he is contesting in the May 12 Karnataka Assembly polls. 7) EC defers decision on recovery of fake voter ID cards in Karnataka: The Election Commission on Thursday night deferred a decision on the recovery of voter ID cards from a flat in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar Assembly seat, even as it sought fresh information from the state election machinery. Highly-placed sources in the Commission told news agencies that prima facie, it seems that most of the voter ID cards recovered were "genuine". However, the reason as to why they were found in the flat was still being ascertained. 8) BJP's Mungantiwar hints at BJP-JD(S) post-poll coalition; Amit Shah shoots down notion: Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Thursday said that a hung Assembly in Karnataka could force the BJP to align with the Janata Dal (Secular). He said that the party could not afford to get stuck around the 100-seat mark in the Karnataka Assembly polls. "If we do, the party may once again have to align with the JD(S)," he said. He added that the Congress, too, might be toying with the idea of extending outside support to a JD-S government. 9) SC rejects Muthalik's plea on Congress manifesto: The Supreme Court on Thursday observed that assuring minorities on alleviation of their socio-economic backwardness does not amount to corrupt practice and rejected Rashtriya Hindu Sena chief Pramod Muthalik's plea alleging that the Congress was seeking votes by using religion in its poll manifesto in Karnataka.A Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also referred to various judgements and said since 1952 until 2017, the top court has ruled that "once the poll process begins, no court shall interfere with it". 10) Modi connected with 2.5 million people through NaMo app in Karnataka, claims BJP: BJP IT department in-charge Amit Malviya on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Modi, through the live video interactions on the 'NaMo' app, has created a unique way of electioneering and reached out to 2.5 million people, which included the party's candidates, workers, and supporters, in Karnataka.
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