Minutes before the Election Commission announced the dates for the Karnataka Assembly polls on 27 March, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted the dates, albeit incorrect.
- Amit Malviya claimed he got the information from a Times Now news flash
- Times Now said “given that the information was not entirely accurate, it is obvious it was not a leak”
- “Malviya’s tweet had no intention of undermining the stature of EC,” BJP said
- Congress alleged that Malviya’s tweet proves that the BJP is dictating polling dates to EC
- The EC said it will probe how the poll dates got leaked
- The Karnataka elections will be held in a single phase on 12 May with the counting on 15 May
BJP to Announce Candidates List in 5-6 days
The BJP's Karnataka unit on Wednesday said it would announce its list of candidates in five to six days for the May 12 assembly polls.
"After three days, after Amit Shah's (BJP National President) visit to Mysuru, I will go to Delhi and get things finalised there," BJP's Karnataka unit chief B S Yeddyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru.
"In another five to six days, we will announce the list (of candidates)," Yeddyurappa added.
EC Receives Responses From Malviya, Times Now, Suvarna News
- BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya maintained on Wednesday that he got the information from Times Now.
- Times Now has told the Election Commission that it got the information from "informed sources". It also said that "given that the information was not entirely accurate, it is obvious it was not a leak".
- Kannada new channel Suvarna News said, the poll schedule was first reported by Times Now and it took the same news. It said it had no sources inside the poll panel.
EC Sets Up Committee to Probe The Leak
The Election Commission set up a committee to probe the leak of Karnataka election dates. The committee will submit the report in seven days.
Highly-placed sources in the Election Commission (EC) told PTI the Intelligence Bureau may be approached to get call records of all those who were in the know of the official schedule of the election and counting dates.
Rahul Dravid to Be Brand Ambassador For Karnataka Polls: EC
Sanjeev Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer for Karnataka said that that former cricketer, and coach Rahul Dravid will be the brand ambassador for the Karnataka elections.
Here’s some information regarding the upcoming polls that the EC gave:
- Nine percent increase in the number of the polling booths in the state.
- 56,696 polling stations across the state.
- 3,56,552 polling personnel to be deployed.
- Number of young voters increased from 7.18 lakhs in 2013 to 15.42 lakhs in 2018.
- During this year’s election, 450 all women polling stations to be set up.
- For the first time, government employees with disabilities will be deployed as polling officers.