Karnataka elections 2023: Press Council issues guidelines ahead of Assembly polls in state | UPDATES

The Press Council of India on Tuesday advised the print media to follow the norms of journalistic conduct on paid news. In advisories issued here, the Press Council of India (PCI) also cautioned against publication of any news that may appear to predict the results of the elections before the date of poll in Karnataka. Noting that newspapers should not misconstrue or misquote the statements given by any leader, the PCI said the statements quoted in editorial should project the true spirit of what was being tried to be conveyed by them.

Karnataka Minister R Ashoka, who is taking on state Congress president D K Shivakumar in Kanakapura, former deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi who recently joined the Congress and JD(S)' YSV Datta, who recently rejoined the party, were among the prominent leaders, who filed their nominations today

Congress released its fourth list of 7 candidates for the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023. The party has fielded newly-joined member Jagadish Shettar from Hubli-Dhrwad-central. Recently, former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar resigned from BJP and joined Congress. The resignation of Shettar resulted in a major political fight in the state. 

Read more here

A young, independent candidate in Yadgir gave electoral officers backbreaking work by paying his deposit money of Rs 10,000 entirely in one rupee coins, which he had collected from voters across the constituency in poll-bound Karnataka. The deposit fee for each candidate in this year's election is Rs 10,000. The officers took two long hours to count the coins that were spread on the table at the office in Yadgir.

Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami of Moorusavir Mutt said that all Lingayats support the BJP and will continue to do so. "All Lingayats support the BJP. I think now also our community will support BJP..." he added. Mahesh Tenginkai, BJP candidate from the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency met him at the mutt today to seek his blessings. 

 BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje hit out at former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar who quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join Congress. "Your party flag changed, is your ideology also changed?" she asked Shettar.

BJP president JP Nadda arrived in Hubballi for his two-day visit. He is scheduled to participate in several public programmes and organisational meetings during his visit. 

Ahead of the polls, Rs 75,17,27,487 cash and 9,82,756.396 litres of liquor valued at Rs 40,93,04,705 were seized till April 18. Further 908.41 kgs of drugs/narcotics with a value of Rs 15,19,99,661 have also been seized till date.

Former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa claimed that his party is going to get an absolute majority in the upcoming Assembly polls. He further said that he will start his tour in the state from Wednesday, April 19.  "Day after tomorrow, I will start my tour in the state. 101% we are going to get absolute majority and we are going to form the government," he added. 

BJP candidate from Hubli-Dharwad Central Assembly constituency, Mahesh Tenginkai, visited Moorusavir Math in Hubballi and met Manmaharaj Niranjan Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Mahaswamiji.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1648229986829230081

"Congress will come to power in Karnataka, and I am sure about winning by a margin of 50,000 votes this time. There is a lot of infighting within the BJP. They have not been able to control price rise and they are also involved in a number of scams. My ambition is to bring Congress to power. There are 2-3 seniors from the party, let them become (the CM)," said Ramalinga Reddy, MLA from BTM Layout, Bengaluru.

Supreme Court adjourns the hearing for April 25 of the petitions challenging the scrapping of 4% OBC quota for Muslims in Karnataka. Karnataka govt seeks adjournment and assures SC that no fresh appointments or admissions would be made based on Karnataka’s order scrapping 4% OBC reservation for Muslims till the next date of hearing.

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the disqualification of Janata Dal (Secular) MLA D C Gowrishankar Swamy from the Tumkur Rural constituency in Karnataka and allowed him to contest the upcoming Assembly polls in the southern state. The top court, however, said Swamy will not be entitled to cast his vote on the floor of the House or in any of the committees where he is nominated as a member. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J K Maheshwari stayed a Karnataka High Court direction passed in its order dated March 30, in which it held: "The election of the returned candidate, D C Gowrishankara Swamy, a member of the legislative assembly, Tumkur Rural constituency, declared as per Form-21C dated May 15, 2018, is hereby declared void.

Considered to be one of the richest politicians in the country, Karnataka Minister N Nagaraju (MTB) has declared total assets worth Rs 1,609 crore, while filing the nomination for May 10 Assembly polls in the state. He filed the papers on Monday as the ruling BJP's candidate from the Hoskote Assembly segment, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. In his election affidavit, Nagaraju, who has mentioned his occupation or profession as agriculturist and business, along with his wife M Shanthakumari, a housewife, together own movable assets worth Rs 536 crore. The couple's immovable assets are worth Rs 1,073 crore, Nagaraju, who is currently a MLC, in June 2020, while contesting the Legislative Council election, had declared assets worth about Rs 1,220 crore, along with his wife. In the affidavit filed today along with nomination, the couple have declared total liabilities of Rs 98. 36 crore.

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday accused the Congress and the JD(S) of joining hands by promising to reverse the Karnataka government order to scrap the four per cent quota for Muslims to deny benefits given to Vokkaligas, Lingayats as well as SCs and STs. Describing the Janata Dal (Secular) as the B-team of the Congress, he said on Twitter that the BJP will stand strongly with these communities and will make sure it is with them for their progress. He used the hashtag "anti-Hindu Congress" to target the opposition party.