Karnataka Election: Repolling is underway in Kushtagi.
Voting was held across 222 constituencies in Karnataka - witnessing a three-cornered battle between the Congress, BJP and the JD(S) - on Saturday. Repolling is currently underway in Kushtagi. Reports of Electronic Voting Machines dysfunctioning came in from several booths earlier on Saturday.
Karnataka saw a high-pitched, bitter election campaign in the past few weeks as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi traded charges. NDTV poll of exit polls suggests BJP is likely to emerge as the single largest party in the elections.
Here are the live update of the Karnataka assembly election.
People familiar with the matter said JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy held political meetings that he didn't want to in Bengaluru. Mr Kumaraswamy is expected back on Monday evening from Singapore, well in time for the counting of votes cast across Karnataka in the Saturday election.
Janata Dal Secular chief HD Kumaraswamy's quick trip to Singapore, squeezed in between voting in Karnataka on Saturday and tomorrow's election results, has fuelled speculation that with exit polls predicting a hung assembly, the party is in talks with the Congress and the BJP.
"There are at least half a dozen chief ministerial candidates in our party," said G Parameshwara, a senior Congress leader from Karnataka, cheerfully confirming his own spot in the league of would-be's. "Of course, since the last election, I have been portrayed as an alternative or one of the chief ministerial candidates... let me also take a chance," the politician, who heads the Congress in the southern state, said.
Preparation underway at a counting centre in Kalaburagi for counting of votes tomorrow, news agency ANI reported.
Manmohan Singh, Other Congress leaders Write To President Over Use Of "Threatening" Language By PM Modi "It is unthinkable that in our democratic polity, the Prime Minister as head of the government would utter words which are threatening, intimidating in content and a public warning to the leaders of members of the main opposition party, the Congress," Congress leaders said in a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind today.
The letter refers to PM Modi's speech in Karnataka on May 6, in which he said: "Congress leaders, please listen carefully, if you cross you limits, then this is Modi. You will pay." Read
here.
"We fought the election under the leadership of Siddaramaiah... Why do you look at me as a Dalit leader ... we should not look at it in that prospective," Mallikarjun Kharge told NDTV.
On possibility of tying up with JD(S), he saidm "We are confident that we will get full majority. Let us wait and see what we have to do."
HD Kumaraswamy is in Singapore. He had left immediately after polling on May 12. A routine health check is the reason for his visit and he is expected to be back tonight, news agency ANI reported citing sources from JD(S).
A final voter turnout of 72.36 per cent was recorded in the Karnataka assembly elections held across 222 constituencies of the state. While 71.08 per cent of women in the state exercised their franchise, 73.24 per cent of men cast their vote.
"This issue has been created in media to create differences between us. We are clear that high command will decide on it. It's just a matter of 12 hours," Mallikarjun Kharge was quoted as saying by news agency ANI on
Siddaramaiah's remark about sacrificing chief minister's post for a Dalit candidate.
Commenting on the fuel price hike, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi tweeted, "Petrol and diesel prices revised after 19-day hiatus right after Karnataka Polls. This govt is blatantly lying to the people by telling them that prices are controlled by Market Mechanisms?" P Chidambaram also attacked the government on Twitter.
Re-polling is underway at booth numbers 20 and 21 in Koppal district's Kushtagi constituency, news agency ANI reported.