Karnataka elections 2023 updates: Rahul Gandhi to visit poll-bound state today | Highlights

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka starting Sunday (today), where he will attend a series of events including visit to temples, interact with people, and address public gatherings, the party said on Saturday.

According to his schedule, Gandhi will reach Hubballi at 10.30 AM and then he will fly to Kudala Sangama in Bagalkote by helicopter.

Kudala Sangama is an important pilgrimage of Lingayat sect, one the major dominant communities of Karnataka.

The place has the Aikya Mantapa of the founder of the 12th century AD social reformer and the founder of Lingayat sect Basaveshwara.

The Congress leader will pay his obeisance to Sangamanatha temple and the Aikya Linga.

He will also participate in the Basava Jayanti celebration organised by the Utsava Samiti of Basava Mantapa.

Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Saturday accused the BJP, Chief Minister's office and BJP legal cell of "conspiring" to reject the nomination papers of the candidates of the grand-old party, a charge denied by the BJP.

Addressing a press conference, Shivakumar said that his nomination paper saw maximum downloads.

"There is a legal team stationed at Kanakapura. Why downloads in such large numbers? This implies that their objective is to get my nomination rejected," he said.

"BJP, Chief Minister's Office and legal cell have conspired. Congress candidates' nominations have been downloaded. The Election Commission should focus on this development. BJP candidates' nomination papers in Savadatti constituency have problems, many BJP candidates' nominations have problems. But, nothing has been done," he alleged.

"No matter what BJP does, we will come to power. I have advised the party workers to bring Congress to power. Even some people from BJP are fed up with BJP. Now the BJP is a divided house," said DK Shivakumar, State President, Karnataka Congress.

Campaigning in the state ahead of upcoming assembly elections, former Karnataka CM and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said, "What's the contribution of BJP to Varuna constituency? People have understood that whatever development has taken place is because of me and my son."

Rahul Gandhi represents the “laziest type of politics” of making bizarre allegations and promises without any intention to improve people's lives, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Saturday, days after the Congress leader created a ripple by pitching for caste census and pledged a slew of sops in Karnataka.

"This 4% quota was given long back. When Supreme Court did not strike it down, why are you people doing this yourself? You are snatching away whatever the government gave to the poor and minorities and are creating divisions just for votes...," said Mallikarjun Kharge while responding to Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that Congress had given 4% quota to Muslims illegally in Karnataka.

I will again contest from the Dharwad district for this election. We have done a lot of work here. We have solved the problems of farmers and provided water to the people...Injustice was done to the Lingayat community by Congress, said Karnataka Minister Shankar Patil Munenakoppa.

The nomination papers of BJP’s Saundatii Yellamma constituency candidate Ratna Anand Mamani for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election was accepted on Saturday after a thorough scrutiny by the election officials owing to objections raised by the opponents including Congress.

Ratna, who is wife of former deputy speaker of the Karnataka Assembly late Anand Mamani, said the objection by the Congress candidate was rejected after closely scrutinising the application.
"I have got a favourable judgment to contest the Assembly election. I request the people of my constituency to bless me in the coming days," Ratna told reporters.

The Flying Squad of ECI and officials conducted a check of the helicopter used by State Congress president DK Shivakumar after it reached the helipad at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada. The party's state chief was travelling in the chopper. "Nothing wrong in that. They have done their duty," said Shivakumar. 

After the scrutiny of nominations for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election on Friday, seven nominations were rejected in Dakshina Kannada district and three in Udupi, officials said.

In Dakshina Kannada, nominations of 72 candidates were received while in Udupi, the number of papers that were complete and in accordance with the prescribed format were 39.

As many as 109 and 88 nominations were submitted initially in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, respectively.
One nomination in Mangaluru North constituency and two each in the constituencies of Mangaluru South, Mangaluru and Bantwal got rejected.

In Udupi, nominations of Shankara Ankadakatte for Kundapur constituency, Udayakumar M and Dayananda Shetty for Karkala constituency were rejected.

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Saturday alleged that the BJP legal team and CM Office have been trying everything to make sure Congress candidates nominations' are disqualified. "I request ECI to collect the call register of CM. In Savadatti also, the same thing happened. CM himself called officials," he said.

Karnataka Police on Friday conducted an area domination exercise in the Eastern Division area of Bengaluru ahead of the election. "101 rowdy sheeters were raided. 15 cases were registered. Two people were detained under the Arms Act," said Dr Bheemashankar Shankar Guled, DCP East Bengaluru.

Senior leader Ajit Pawar did not figure in the list of star campaigners released on Friday by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the Karnataka Assembly elections.

Earlier in the day, Pawar skipped the NCP's meeting in Mumbai as the speculation about his possible exit from the party refuses to die down.

The 15-member list of star campaigners included party chief Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Shivajirao Garje, Clyde Crasto and R Hari.

Hari, who heads the party's Karnataka unit, would be fielded from Yelburga constituency.

The NCP on Friday released its list of nine candidates for the next month's elections in the southern state.

 Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Friday skipped a convention of his party’s Mumbai unit, raising eyebrows in political circles as speculation about his next political move refuses to die down.

His name was also missing from the party's list of star campaigners for the Karnataka Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar said he was unable to attend the convention as it clashed with some other programs he had to attend, and nothing more should be read into it.

The daylong meeting in Mumbai was addressed by party chief Sharad Pawar and senior leaders like Praful Patel, Jitendra Awhad, Supriya Sule, Chhagan Bhujbal and state NCP president Jayant Patil.

Talking about Ajit Pawar's absence from the meeting, NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said the event was planned a month ago.