The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the forthcoming Karnataka assembly election.
Karnataka will see a single-phase polling, on May 10, followed by the counting of votes on May 13.
Karnataka, the only major southern state that has the ruling BJP in power, with 104 seats in the 224-member assembly won in 2018, is banking on Narendra Modi’s pull to retain status quo.
The Congress’ campaign has been centred around its ‘40% commission’ corruption charge against the incumbent administration.
The Congress and JD(S) had formed a coalition government in 2018, as the BJP could not get a clean majority,
A rebellion by some Congress-JD(S) legislators led to the collapse of the coalition government, led by the JD(S)’s HD Kumaraswamy in 2019.
The BJP then returned to power under BS Yediyurappa, who in July 2021 stepped aside for current CM Basavaraj Bommai to take charge.
We are sure to come back to power with huge majority, said Mr Bommai, even as DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Congress chief hoped for the current government to be ‘dismissed.’
‘This election will be development-oriented, and for a corruption-free state, and the country. Corruption is at its peak and PM Modi encouraged it, he did not take any action against his party leaders’ said Mr Shivakumar.
The JD(S), which is the largest regional party in Karnataka and the largest after the two national parties, will be in the scheme of things again as kingmaker, if the state witnesses a hung assembly.
Over 9.17 lakh first-time voters will vote in this year’s elections. The term of the current assembly will expire on May 24.
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