Page 9 - Karnataka Elections

PM Modi slams Congress after party vows to ban Bajrang Dal in manifesto

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Congress for promising to ban Bajrang Dal in its election manifesto. He called it the party's attempt at trying to lock up those who worship Hanuman. He claimed that the Congress had earlier locked up Lord Rama and now it wanted to lock up those who chant 'Jai Bajrang Bali' (Hail Hanuman). Modi's attack on the Congress came within hours of the opposition party releasing its election manifesto for the May 10 Assembly elections. The Congress manifesto said: "We believe that law and constitution is sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on such organisations." Addressing an election rally here in Vijayanagara district, Modi said: "I have come to the land of Hanuman. I am fortunate that I got the opportunity to pay obeisance to the la

Karnataka Assembly polls: Rahul Gandhi promises Rs 2 hike in milk subsidy

Congress' plans to increase the subsidy would force milk producers to sell their milk only to the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Union (KMF)

Karnataka election: 1 mn jobs, EV hub among promises in BJP manifesto

Pledge to upgrade state schools, provide ease of living for Bengaluru apartment residents

Modi holds mega roadshow in Mysuru, winds up 2-day whirlwind election tour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a mega roadshow in Mysuru, winding up his whirlwind two-day campaign tour of Karnataka during which he addressed six public rallies. In what appeared to be a rerun of sorts of the popular 'Jambu Savari' witnessed on the last day of the annual Mysuru Dasara, the Prime Minister's roadshow passed through various parts of the city. Modi flew into the heritage city from Beluru in Hassan district this evening after addressing his third public meeting of the day in the state and mounted on a specially designed vehicle. Flanked by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, former ministers K S Eshwarappa and S A Ramadas, the Prime Minister wore the traditional Mysuru 'Peta' and a saffron shawl. He waved at the large number of people who had gathered on both sides of the road. Eshwarappa recently announced retirement from electoral politics, while sitting MLA Ramadas was denied ticket to contest in the May 10 Assembly elections. A cultural troupe of men and women in ...

Karnataka Assembly polls: BJP president Nadda to release manifesto tomorrow

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to release its election manifesto for Karnataka Assembly polls on Monday, said sources.The manifesto will be released by party president JP Nadda in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and party veteran BS Yediyurappa.Sources said the party manifesto may focus on welfare measures for the youth, infrastructure development and women empowerment.Further, to take the first-time voters on board, a special announcement can be made for the youth and girl students who have passed class 12.In the 2018 election manifesto, BJP touched every section of society. The party had also included cow protection measures in its manifesto.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing an election rally in Kolar on Sunday, came down heavily on Congress for drawing parallels between him and a snake.PM Modi said that the people of Karnataka will give the party a "befitting answer" in the upcoming Assembly elections.Congress president ...

BJP seeking votes in PM Modi's name, Cong going 'vocal for local': Jairam

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that while the BJP was seeking votes in the Karnataka Assembly polls in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress had adopted the PM's "vocal for local" slogan and was raising issues of the people of the state. In an interview with PTI, Ramesh said Karnataka, after four years of the BJP rule, needs 'Vitamin-P' in which the P stands for "performance" of the Congress and not "polarisation" of the BJP. Using armed forces' terminology, Ramesh said the Congress is not worried about the "carpet bombing" campaign strategy of Prime Minister Modi and other senior BJP leaders as it has enough "anti-aircraft guns" to deal with it. The more the carpet bombing campaign the BJP indulges in, the more clearly it indicates its "despair and desperation", the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said. Ramesh, who is a star campaigner for the party, said the Karnataka polls were about the BJP's "threats" versus Congress' .

BJP betrayed public, trying to divert from real issues: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lashed out at Bharatiya Janata Party in poll-bound Karnataka and said that the party (BJP) has betrayed the public

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra seeks to reach out to workers of Anganwadis & ASHA

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said if her party is voted to power in the Karnataka Assembly election, the honorarium of workers at major Anganwadis will be increased to Rs 15,000 per month, and for those in mini Anganwadis, it will be hiked to Rs 10,000. The party will also increase the honorarium of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers to Rs 8,000 per month, and Rs 5,000 per month for women working for the mid-day meal programme, she said. In a public meeting here in Belagavi district bordering Maharashtra, the Congress leader said, Our party has decided to increase the honorarium up to Rs 15,000 for my sisters in major Anganwadis and Rs 10,000 for women in mini Anganwadis. The honorarium of the ASHA workers will be hiked to Rs 8,000 and those working for the mid-day meals will get Rs 5,000. Vadra also promised to give Rs three lakh to the workers of main Anganwadis on their retirement or to their nominee in the event of death due to ..

BJP, Cong seek EC ban on campaigning by leaders of other side in K'taka

With the election campaign in Karnataka witnessing a bitter war of words between the BJP and the Congress, both the parties rushed to the Election Commission Friday seeking ban on electioneering by top leaders of the other side. While the BJP sought an FIR and a bar on campaigning by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress demanded restrictions on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Kharge is under attack from the BJP after he likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a "poisonous snake" during a poll rally. Shah and Yogi have been accused of flaring communal passions and creating disharmony in the poll-bound state with their statements against minorities. Union minister Bhupender Yadav led a BJP delegation and urged the poll body to file a criminal case against Kharge and bar him from campaigning in the Karnataka assembly polls. He later told reporters that Kharge's comment was not merely a slip of the tongue but part of the ...

Bar Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath from campaigning in Karnataka: Cong to EC

The Congress on Friday requested the Election Commission to bar Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning for the May 10 assembly polls in Karnataka for their alleged statements against the minority community. A delegation of Congress leaders, including Abhishek Singhvi, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Mukul Wasnik, met the chief election commissioner and the election commissioners, and requested the poll body to ensure a level-playing field in the state. The delegation alleged that Shah and Adityanath made "false", "partisan" and "communal" statements during the poll campaign in Karnataka with a view to seek electoral gains, and demanded that they be not allowed to campaign in the state. They said the Election Commission should immediately take action against these leaders. Briefing reports outside the Election Commission office, Singhvi said, "We have just finished a very productive and important meeting with the EC. We complained ...

PM Modi to embark on two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday and Sunday where he will address six public meetings and hold two roadshows. According to his itinerary, Modi will fly from Delhi on Saturday morning by a special aircraft to Bidar airport from where he will take a helicopter to Humnabad in Bidar district to address a public meeting at 11 am. After the meeting, he will fly to Vijayapura where he will address a public gathering at 1 pm. He would then fly to Kudachi in Belagavi district where he will address people at about 2.45 pm. Later, Modi would fly to Bengaluru in the evening to hold a road show in Bengaluru North. After staying in Bengaluru, he would then depart from Raj Bhavan on Sunday morning to fly to Kolar where he will address a public meeting at 11.30 am. From Kolar, the Prime Minister would then fly to Channapatna in Ramanagara district to address a public meeting at 1.30 pm. Modi would then go to the temple town of Belur

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UP CM slams Cong over anti-constitutional reservation ahead of K'taka polls

In his first election rally in poll-bound Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday attacked the Congress over religion-based reservation saying that it was against the Constitution. He also claimed that no riots took place in Uttar Pradesh in the past six years due to the strong ''double engine government". "Congress appeases the Popular Front of India (PFI) and gives religion-based reservation, which is against the Indian Constitution," Adityanath said during an election rally here in the Vokkaliga heartland, the stronghold of JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. He was referring to the four per cent reservation for Muslims under 2B category of the Other Backward Classes, which the BJP government in Karnataka scrapped at the fag end of its tenure saying that religion-based quota has no constitutional backing. After making 2B redundant, the Karnataka government split the four per cent reservation into two equal parts and increased the tw

Took conscious decision to discontinue Muslim quota: K'taka govt to SC

The state submitted that the provision of reservation on the basis of religion would also be contrary to the concept of secularism

Shah defends scrapping 4% reservation for Muslims in K'taka ahead of polls

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday defended the BJP government's decision in Karnataka of scrapping four per cent quota for Muslims saying the party never believed in religion-based reservation'. The former BJP chief also took a dig at Congress for its stand that the quota would be restored if it is voted to power in the state after the May 10 Assembly polls. "There was a religion based reservation of four per cent for Muslims. Without falling for the vote bank politics, the BJP government abolished the Muslim reservation," he said addressing a public meeting at Terdal in this district. "We believe that religion based reservation should not happen," Shah opined. The Minister added that after abolishing Muslim reservation, the BJP government increased the reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Vokkaligas and Lingayats. Referring to the Basavaraj Bommai government's decision to increase the SC reservation from 15 per cent to 17 per cent, Shah noted that the ..

Karnataka will be afflicted with riots if Cong comes to power: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said if the Congress comes to power in Karnataka, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high in the state and it will be 'afflicted with riots.' The former BJP chief also said the development of the state will be in "reverse gear" if the Congress forms the government. Seeking the people's mandate for "political stability" in Karnataka, which would vote on May 10, Shah said at a public meeting at Terdal in this district that only the BJP can lead the state towards a 'New Karnataka.' "If the Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high and Karnataka will be afflicted with riots," added Shah, one of the party's key poll strategists and campaigners. "If the Congress comes to power by mistake then corruption will be all-time high and there will be 'appeasement'," said Shah, who is on a two-day tour of Karnataka to hold a series of public meetings, roadshows and review meetings with his party leaders.

BJP leaders Amit Shah, JP Nadda to hold roadshows in southern Karnataka

In its latest round of electioneering in poll-bound Karnataka, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda will take part in separate roadshows in the southern part of the state on Monday. Shah arrived in Bengaluru on Sunday night. According to the itinerary shared by the BJP, Shah will fly to Mysuru to pay his obeisance at the renowned Chamundeshwari Temple. He will then take a helicopter ride from Mysuru to Gundlupet in Chamarajanagar district, and lead a roadshow from 1 pm to 2 pm. The Home Minister, who was a former BJP chief, will then fly to Sakaleshpura where he will take out another roadshow to boost party cadres from 3 pm to 4 pm. After heading back to Mysuru, he will fly in a special aircraft to Hubballi in northern Karnataka in the evening. The BJP leader will hold an Election Working Committee meeting with party leaders at a luxury hotel in Hubballi where he will be staying for the night. Meanwhile, BJP president J P Nadda will reach Bengaluru by a speci

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to visit K'taka on Tuesday ahead of assembly polls

With just weeks left for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to arrive in the state on Tuesday during which she will campaign for the party

PM Modi to address public rally in Karnataka on April 30 ahead of polls

A party leader said that the BJP is aiming at winning more seats in certain parts of the state where it does not enjoy a significant stronghold

Karnataka polls: BJP candidate Ratna Mamani's nomination papers accepted

The nomination papers of BJP's Saundatii Yellamma constituency candidate Ratna Anand Mamani for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election was accepted on Saturday after a thorough scrutiny by the election officials owing to objections raised by the opponents including Congress. Ratna, who is wife of former deputy speaker of the Karnataka Assembly late Anand Mamani, said the objection by the Congress candidate was rejected after closely scrutinising the application. "I have got a favourable judgment to contest the Assembly election. I request the people of my constituency to bless me in the coming days," Ratna told reporters. The BJP candidate said that she was not frightened after the objection, saying that she never committed anything wrong. "When the opponents cannot win, they resort to these low level conspiracies," Ratna alleged. Accusing her opponents, she said those who created trouble for her should come face-to-face to fight in the election. Ratna's lawyer said there could ha