Bommai dismisses Congress speculation of early assembly election

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday dismissed Congress state president D K Shivakumar’s statement that there was a proposal to hold assembly elections early.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday dismissed Congress state president D K Shivakumar’s statement that there was a proposal to hold assembly elections early. With just four months left for the Karnataka assembly elections, Shivakumar today claimed that the BJP government was going in for early polls using COVID as a pretext.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai (PTI)

"D K Shivakumar has said that the early assembly elections could be possible due to the COVID-19. He even said that the Delhi leaders too have spoken to me," Bommai told reporters in Belagavi.

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"I clarify that the Delhi leaders have not spoken to me. We do not have any proposal to hold early elections even before the term gets over," the Chief Minister said.

Shivakumar had said in Hubballi that the Chief Minister had also spoken to Director General of Police Praveen Sood regarding the preparations for elections.

"Using COVID as pretext, they may hold early elections. He (Bommai) has spoken to the Director General of Police regarding the preparations. Today, he has spoken to the cabinet members. This is not an official information but an unofficial one," Shivakumar told reporters.

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"Even he (Bommai) received a call from the Prime Minister’s office. We are always ready for the election whenever they wish to hold," he said. The Congress state chief charged that the Central government was trying to interrupt Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in view of the large number of people joining him.

He said the state government too had interrupted his march from Mekedatu to Bengaluru for a balancing reservoir on Cauvery river earlier this year, using COVID as pretext and booked cases against him and others.