New Delhi sources reported that according to sources Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat announced that Karnataka Assembly polls will be held on May 12 and the votes will be counted on May 15. Accordingly there will be a single phase election for the 224-member assembly, like the last time. Meanwhile the notification for the polls will be issued on April 17 and the last date for filing of nomination will be April 24, Rawat said at a press conference.
He said April 27 will be the last date of withdrawal of candidates. Sources reported that all electronic voting machines will be linked to Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. Moreover to questions from reporters about the polling date being leaked even before he made the official announcement, Rawat said the poll panel will investigate the matter and take stringent legal and administrative action.
According to sources the polls are being seen as politically crucial for
Karnataka's ruling Congress as well as the BJP. Furthermore the BJP is making a
concerted bid to unseat the Congress. The JD(S), led by former prime minister H
D Deve Gowda, is the third player in the fray.
