New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday announced that the Karnataka Assembly polls will be held on May 12, beginning the countdown to the crucial electoral battle that will decide whether BJP's juggernaut will breach the last major Congress fortress.
The votes – which will determine whether Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will beat back the saffron tide in Karnataka – will be counted on May 15, Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat said.
The announcement was shadowed by controversy with BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeting the election date while Rawat was addressing a press conference but had not declared the date. The CEC described it as a "very serious issue" and promised stringent legal and administrative action.
Another Twitter user, Srivatsa, whose profile describes him as Congress' social media in-charge in Karnataka, also put out the same information at almost the same time. Both Malviya and Srivatsa got the polling date right but the date of the counting of votes wrong.
Rawat said the notification for the polls for the 224-member assembly, which will be held in a single phase like the last time, will be issued on April 17. The last date for filing of nomination will be April 24 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature April 27. All electronic voting machines will be linked to VVPAT machines, he said.
