Karnataka elections 2023 updates: 'Double engine govt means double speed' says PM Modi in Bidar

Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will lose the next month's Assembly elections in Karnataka. He was responding to a reporter's question here about the chances of the Congress, his former party, in the poll-bound southern state. “If I say we are winning, then I will be called a Congressman," he said in a lighter vein. The Grand Old Party will wrest the power from the BJP, he said.

On the formation of a new front of pposition parties, Sibal said, “There should be a common agenda. All parties should come together and I will personally try to work in this direction to set up such a coalition."  The senior lawyer said to a question that at 75 he was not interested in contesting elections. On whether he would ever join the Congress again, Sibal said, "I have left Congress, but not its ideology."

Congress and JD(S) are behaving in a way that insults the 'Hindu Santana Dharma' and 'Hindu Sanskriti'...Nobody should sleep till 10 May. We should not sleep & should not let Congress and JD(S) sleep. KCR gave money to Congress and JD(S). They are distributing money. Congress believes in money, but we believe in the people, said Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay in Kolar.

Defence Minister & BJP leader Rajnath Singh speaks on Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's "snake remark." "...PM is not just a person but an institution on its own...The manner in which Congress leaders are making personal attacks on the PM, they're shredding the traditions of a healthy democratic system...," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a roadshow in Bengaluru.  

"BJP scrapped the 4% Muslim reservation. That reservation was not as per Constitution. Our Constitution does not permit reservation on the basis of religion. Congess says that once their reverse gear Govt comes, they will bring back the Muslim reservation once again. Do you want that?" says HM Amit Shah in Byndoor.

Karnataka Elections 2023: Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Byndoor.

The Congress on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was playing the "victim card" and pleading for a "discredited" double-engine government in Karnataka but the people of the state have made up their mind to oust the BJP. Launching his poll campaign from Humnabad in Bidar district, Modi trained his guns on the Congress over its president Mallikarjun Kharge's 'venomous snake' barb at him, saying till now the opposition party and its leaders have hurled at him different abuses 91 times. Reacting to it, AICC general secretary Communications Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, "Predictably PM Modi has begun his much-delayed Karnataka campaign by playing the victim card, pleading for a completely discredited so-called 'double engine' sarkar and abusing Congress."

"Congress did the work of giving shelter to PFI. We had said that their (PFI) activites are anti-national and when we will come, we will ban PFI and we have banned it. BJP does what it says, that means there is no difference between our words and actions," said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in Mandya. 

The Election Commission has directed its chief electoral officer in poll-going Karnataka to ensure constant monitoring of ground situation and strengthen vigil over various social media platforms for prompt action against attempts to bribe or intimidate candidates and voters, sources said on Saturday. The Commission's directive came after an audio clip was circulated on social media about an alleged attempt by BJP candidate from Chamarajanagar, V Somana, to influence Mallikarjuna Swamy alias Alur Mallu of JD (S) to withdraw candidature by offering money and a government vehicle, sources said. An FIR has been filed in the matter under Section 171E and 171 F of IPC in Town Police Station, Chamarajanagar, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a swipe at former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah saying that the Congress leader was seeking votes in the name of his retirement from active politics. He said the people of Karnataka will not choose a "tired and defeated" Congress but a BJP teeming with enthusiasm. "A Congress leader is seeking votes in the name of their retirement. His biggest poll plank is: 'This is my last election. Give me a chance. What a pathetic state they have reached!" Modi said in an election rally in the district headquarters town of Vijayapura.

Training guns on the Congress over its President M Mallikarjun Kharge's 'venomous snake' barb at him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said till now that party and its leaders have hurled at him different types of abuses 91 times. Accusing the Congress of also abusing the dominant Lingayat community in poll-bound Karnataka, the Prime Minister further said the grand old party had even abused Babasaheb Ambedkar and were engaged in abusing Veer Savarkar. Hitting out at the Congress, Modi -- on his first visit to the state for campaigning after elections were declared on March 29 -- said, people will respond to its abuses with votes, and as much mud they sling at BJP, the lotus will bloom.

BJP candidate from Ballari City G Somasekhara Reddy has said his brother's wife and rival KRPP candidate Aruna Laxmi is a "housewife and has no idea about the problems of the constituency." Aruna Laxmi is wife of mining baron G Janardhana Reddy. Janardhana Reddy, who is an accused in an illegal mining case, had recently formed "Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha" (KRPP) after snapping his two decade-old association with the BJP and fielded his wife from the Ballari City constituency against his brother Somashekhar Reddy. "I helped Janardhana come out of jail and for the same reason, I stayed behind the bars for 63 days. But now he is making his wife contest against me. God will see who follows dharma and adharma. Aruna Laxmi is a housewife and ever since her name was announced she hasn't come out on the streets for campaigning. She doesn't know the problems of people here," Somasekhara Reddy told PTI.

Shivakumar said, "I still stand by number 141, on the basis of surveys, my big political experience --as I have been in the Assembly for the last 35 years, I have contested eight elections, lost one, won in seven-- I know political arithmetic and social engineering. We will get through with a big number." 

Karnataka: BJP National President JP Nadda held a roadshow at Kalaghatagi in the Dharwad district of the state. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah offers prayers at Harihareshwara Temple in Karnataka's Davanagere.

Definitely it will open the doors, it is the beginning. It will be the beginning for the unity at the national level, and for the Congress party for 2024. Karnataka people will give a message to the country. Earlier also at the time of Devraj Urs (former CM), when Janata Party was in power at the national level, Karnataka had opened the door for Congress, now again Karnataka will play its role.
 

No, it is in no way connected to Modi or any other national leaders, it is connected to the administration of Karnataka, how Karnataka government has failed, what Congress party can do. This is a very peace-loving state, people of Karnataka are highly mature. Karnataka is the gateway for the economic development of this country. They (BJP) are raising emotional issues, we want to concentrate on development issues. Price rise is affecting every common man, we want to help them out. For three-and-half years there was BJP's "double engine" government, which has completely failed. There was Global Investors' Meet, government claimed there were investment proposals worth Rs 10 lakh crore, but in places where BJP is strong like Malnad or coastal region, not even a single investor has gone to create jobs; unemployment is high. Karnataka is also the knowledge capital and after unwarranted emotive issues such as hijab and halal played out, I think people are afraid. Such things are creating problems for the development of the state. (KPCC chief Shivakumar said in an interview)

The outcome of the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka will herald a beginning and open the door for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, says the party's State unit chief D K Shivakumar. In an interview with PTI, he sounded upbeat about the party's prospects in the May ten polls to the 224-member Assembly, saying it would win 141 seats. The ruling BJP was deploying its entire central leadership for campaigning in the State out of fear of losing the May 10 polls, he said and asserted the 'Modi factor' will not work in the southern State, where people are purely focused on local and developmental issues.

Karnataka election is not merely for making a govt for 5 years, it is to make state the country's number one: PM Modi at public meeting in Bidar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday embarked on a two-visit to Karnataka, Here, he addressed a public rally in Bidar. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday (April 29) and Sunday (April 30) where he will address six public meetings and hold two roadshows. According to his itinerary, PM Modi will fly from Delhi today by a special aircraft to Bidar airport from where he will take a helicopter to Humnabad in Bidar district to address a public meeting at around 11:00 am.
After the meeting, he will fly to Vijayapura where he will address a public gathering at around 1:00 pm. He would then fly to Kudachi in Belagavi district where he will address people at about 2.45 pm.