Congress files complaint with EC against JD(S) candidate for threatening voters

Congress has filed a complaint with the election commission alleging a Janata Dal (Secular) candidate of threatening voters in the Gandhinagar constituency in Bengaluru. 

A complaint was lodged by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Legal Cell with Election Commission alleging that JD(S) candidate, V Narayanaswamy of Gandhinagar assembly constituency is collecting voter cards of locals & intimidating voters in the constituency, ANI reported.

Pertinently, Congress has given the current MLA, Dinesh Gundurao the ticket to contest from the Gandhinagar constituency. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Gopinath from the seat, which comes under the Bengaluru central district of Karnataka. Gundurao defeated BJP’s A.R. Sapthagiri Gowda by a margin of 10,070 votes in the 2018 assembly polls from the seat. JDS contestant V Narayanaswamy, who has been alleged came in the third position with 36,635 votes. 

BJP to release first list

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, on April 10, said the first list of the BJP for the Karnataka polls will be announced either on April 11 or 12. He said, there is no confusion regarding finalising the list. "Most probably the first list will be released tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," he said speaking to reporters.

The Karnataka CM on Monday, flayed former state CM and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah for spreading false information about employment opportunities in the state. Bommai tweeted, “The BJP Karnataka government has provided 55 lakhs job in last 4 yrs as per FICCI & EPFO. National average for unemployment is 4.1% while that in Karnataka is just 2.1%, almost half of the national average. Siddaramaiah pls check your facts before indulging in false propaganda.”

Karnataka elections 2023

In the 2018 assembly polls, the JDS-Congress alliance grabbed the power as none of the political parties could achieve a majority mark. BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, 64 more than the 2013 election. However, the JDS-Congress coalition under the JDS leader H.D. Kumaraswamy collapsed a year later. BJP thereafter formed the government under with BS Yediyurappa as the chief minister however he was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai in July 2021.

This time in Karnataka, apart from the Congress-BJP-JDS triad, it also has a new entrant in the form of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which will fight from all constituencies. The various issues during this year’s polls include the Lingayat factor, development, corruption, appeasement, radicalization, polarization, etc.