Bengaluru, Apr 16: The
process for one of the most fierce electoral battles that Karnataka has ever
witnessed will be set in motion on Tuesday with the issue of notifications in
224 constituencies for the May 12 election to the 15th Karnataka Assembly,
triggering filing of nominations.
The key contenders for governing the state for
the next five years were the ruling Congress under the leadership of
Siddaramaiah that will be seeking another term and its main challenger is the
Bharatiya Janata Party which is flexing all muscles to return to power and
continue its campaign of Congress Mukth Bharat. Challenging both of them is the
Janata Dal (Secular) which decried that it will not be a king maker, but be the
king this time around. The JD(S) is expecting support from other National
and
Regional parties in its quest.
Even before the Election Commission could zero in on the dates, the major contenders had completed one round of electioneering with National leaders Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah covering the entire state in various rounds of rallies and public meetings, while Mr Rahul Gandhi, facing the first election as Congress President also undertaking intense road shows and public meetings to put Congress stand clear ahead of the election.
The campaigning had been acrimonious so far with the clashing parties hurling acquisitions against each other and the BJP terming the Siddaramaiah Government as ten per cent (commisison) government alleging that corruption was rampant.
The Congress while browbeating its achievements also highlighted about the non-performance of the Modi Government.
Encashing on the division of Bharatiya Janata Party into three splinters had witnessed the return of the Congress to power in the 2013 election. BJP Chief Ministerial nominee B S Yeddyurappa who had to step down on corruption charges quit the BJP to float a separate Party KJP and vowed to finish off his parent Party at the hustings in 2013 and managed to do so. But subsequently realising its folly the BJP central leadership brought him back and has now made him the key campaigner in the state.
Mr Siddaramaiah will captain the Party electioneering and will fight from Chamundeshwari constituency from where he had won five times before. He had won from Varuna last time. Mr Yedddyurappa, now an MP will fight from Shikaripur in Shivamogga district, while Mr H D Kumaraswamy leading the JD(S) campaign will be fighting from Ramanagara. Mr Siddaramaiah had been offered to fight from Badami in North Karnataka, but the Congress high command had negated the offer stating that it would send wrong signals.
An estimated 4.96 crore voters with 2.23 crore of them being women will cast their franchise in nearly 58,000 polling boths across the state with the Election Commission taking all necessary arrangements for a free and fair polls.
Nominations will close on April 24 and after scrutiny the next day, the last date for withdrawal is April 27. Counting is slated for May 15 and the election process has to be completed by May 18.
Ruling Congress, which is making a determined bid to retain the power, has released a list of 218 candidates, while the BJP has already named candidates for 72 constituencies. The JD(S)has announced a list of over 120 candidates.
As witnessed in the earlier elections, the dissident activities have started following the announcement of candidates. The major one being protest by sitting BJP MLA Thippeswamy who was denied ticket from Molakalmuru and selecting MP and former Minister B Sriramulu, a close aide of Mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy. After the mining scam and Reddy spending some time in jail, BJP has not only denied him a ticket but National President Amit Shah had announced that the party had distanced from him.
The rebellion in JD(S) was going on since last Rajya Sabha election as seven of its members violated whip and voted in favour of Congress candidate. All the seven MLAs were suspended from the party and a petition was filed with the Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad to disqualify them. However, the issue remained static and elections were announced.
All the seven suspended JD(S) MLAs joined Congress in the presence of Mr Rahul Gandhi at Mysuru and all of them were given ticket in the list, which is released last night. UNI
Regional parties in its quest.
Even before the Election Commission could zero in on the dates, the major contenders had completed one round of electioneering with National leaders Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah covering the entire state in various rounds of rallies and public meetings, while Mr Rahul Gandhi, facing the first election as Congress President also undertaking intense road shows and public meetings to put Congress stand clear ahead of the election.
The campaigning had been acrimonious so far with the clashing parties hurling acquisitions against each other and the BJP terming the Siddaramaiah Government as ten per cent (commisison) government alleging that corruption was rampant.
The Congress while browbeating its achievements also highlighted about the non-performance of the Modi Government.
Encashing on the division of Bharatiya Janata Party into three splinters had witnessed the return of the Congress to power in the 2013 election. BJP Chief Ministerial nominee B S Yeddyurappa who had to step down on corruption charges quit the BJP to float a separate Party KJP and vowed to finish off his parent Party at the hustings in 2013 and managed to do so. But subsequently realising its folly the BJP central leadership brought him back and has now made him the key campaigner in the state.
Mr Siddaramaiah will captain the Party electioneering and will fight from Chamundeshwari constituency from where he had won five times before. He had won from Varuna last time. Mr Yedddyurappa, now an MP will fight from Shikaripur in Shivamogga district, while Mr H D Kumaraswamy leading the JD(S) campaign will be fighting from Ramanagara. Mr Siddaramaiah had been offered to fight from Badami in North Karnataka, but the Congress high command had negated the offer stating that it would send wrong signals.
An estimated 4.96 crore voters with 2.23 crore of them being women will cast their franchise in nearly 58,000 polling boths across the state with the Election Commission taking all necessary arrangements for a free and fair polls.
Nominations will close on April 24 and after scrutiny the next day, the last date for withdrawal is April 27. Counting is slated for May 15 and the election process has to be completed by May 18.
Ruling Congress, which is making a determined bid to retain the power, has released a list of 218 candidates, while the BJP has already named candidates for 72 constituencies. The JD(S)has announced a list of over 120 candidates.
As witnessed in the earlier elections, the dissident activities have started following the announcement of candidates. The major one being protest by sitting BJP MLA Thippeswamy who was denied ticket from Molakalmuru and selecting MP and former Minister B Sriramulu, a close aide of Mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy. After the mining scam and Reddy spending some time in jail, BJP has not only denied him a ticket but National President Amit Shah had announced that the party had distanced from him.
The rebellion in JD(S) was going on since last Rajya Sabha election as seven of its members violated whip and voted in favour of Congress candidate. All the seven MLAs were suspended from the party and a petition was filed with the Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad to disqualify them. However, the issue remained static and elections were announced.
All the seven suspended JD(S) MLAs joined Congress in the presence of Mr Rahul Gandhi at Mysuru and all of them were given ticket in the list, which is released last night. UNI
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