Karnataka polls date leak: Election Commission examines responses

Following the alleged data leak regarding the schedule of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls, an Officers' Committee constituted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) examined responses submitted by the parties involved.

Following the meeting, the ECI stated that further inquiry would be conducted into the matter and necessary action would be taken.

For the unversed, controversy erupted on Tuesday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell head Amit Malviya took to Twitter to reveal the polling date as May 12 and counting as May 18, ahead of the ECI's official announcement.

However, Malviya deleted the tweet, post social media uproar.

Following this, the BJP leader in his response to the election-governing body, claimed that the tweet was based on a flash taken out by a leading TV channel, thereby downplaying the possibility of an information leak.

"I wish to reiterate that I firmly believe in the exclusive constitutional domain of the Election Commission to conduct free and fair elections in the country, and also in the confidentiality and secrecy mandated upon it in process of doing so. It is my kind submission that my tweet was in no way intended to infringe upon the constitutional mandate of the Election Commission," Malviya clarified.

Meanwhile, a local media in Karnataka also announced similar dates, following updates from the aforementioned leading channel, as per their clarification.

However, the national TV channel clarified that no information leak had taken place.

On a related note, the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will go to polls on May 12, and counting of votes will be held on May 15.