Karnataka Poll 2023 highlights: PM Modi questions Congress on NEP at Tumakuru

As rallies and roadshows continue before the final day for campaigning, Karnataka prepares for PM Modi's two-day roadshow in Bengaluru over the weekend.

Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 LIVE Updates: As Karnataka is set to vote in less than a week, all major political parties are busy with campaigns, rallies and roadshows, with prominent leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi touring the state.

PM Modi holds a road show in Tumakuru

Karnataka is also reeling with a controversy over the recently-released Congress manifesto, which vowed to ban groups such as the Bajrang Dal. In response, BJP leaders and members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal have held protests and recited the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. Meanwhile, the Congress party backtracked and said they only mean to say that organizations like PFI and the Bajrang Dal are disturbing law and order in the state.

The BJP on the other hand is looking for a final push before the last day for campaigning, with PM Modi's two-day mega roadshow in the state capital over the weekend.

Karnataka will vote next Wednesday, with results due to be released on May 13.

Follow all the updates here:

• May 05, 2023 08:38 PM IST

  Varuna needs change: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai

  Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday held a road show and public meeting in Varuna constituency of Mysore district.

  He said, "This constituency needs a change. This constituency did not have taluk centre. For many long years, people suffered from this stagnant administration. Which leader has served you for so many years? No leader has the capacity to take everyone into confidence. For this reason, the BJP has fielded Somanna here." (ANI)

• May 05, 2023 07:24 PM IST

  Both Congress and the BJP are making elections communal: Mayawati

  Former CM of Uttar Pradesh and Bahujan Samajwadi Party cheif Mayawati started campagning in Karnataka, ahead of the assembly elections. 

  She said, “The Congress promised to issue a ban on Bajarang Dal and the BJP is saying ‘Jai Bajarangbali’. Both the parties are adding communal colour to this elections. Be cautious of them and choose development.” 

• May 05, 2023 07:05 PM IST

  BJP is strong in Varuna: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai

  Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai told that BJP candidate in Varuna is strong and he will defeat Siddaramaiah in his home constituency. 

  He said, “BJP has a wave at Varuna and our candidate will win the election there. We are expecting more numbers than the survey and I am sure that the BJP will get the comfortable majority there.” 

• May 05, 2023 05:43 PM IST

   Every vote to Congress or JD(S) will stop development: PM Modi in Tumakuru

  PM Modi in Tumakuru warned the voters that a vote to the Congress or the JD(S) will only put Karnataka in the back seat. He said, “Congress and JD(S) people spoke many things about the HAL airport. Now there is a helicopter factory in Tumakuru and I had an oppurtinty to inagurate it. That is the result of double engine governement. What happened to the Congress and the JD(S) leaders now? Why are they not speaking about the HAL airport? Let me tell you, a vote to the Congress or the JD(S) will take Karnataka behind” 

• May 05, 2023 05:32 PM IST

  PM Modi slams Congress on its NEP policy in the manifesto

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress manifesto and asked the grand old party why it is against the New Education Policy. 

  He said, “The Congress doesn't want to see poor students becoming engineers and doctors in Karnataka. It doesn't want them to study in regional language and become global standard doctors and engineers. Which is why they are against the NEP. I want to ask Congress, why it is against NEP and promised to abolish NEP in the state?” 

• May 05, 2023 05:21 PM IST

  Congress gets offended of ‘Jai Bajranagbali' chants: PM Modi

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again attacked the Congress party by quoting a poet Kuvempu's poem in Tumakru. 

  He said, “Poet Kuvempu in one of the poems said, ‘Hey Lanka, powerful Anjeneya is here.’ But the Congress party gets offended if I chant ‘Jai Bajarangbali’" 

• May 05, 2023 04:50 PM IST

  PM Modi holds a road show in Karnataka's Tumakuru

  After a public meeting in Bellary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Karnataka's Tumakuru on Friday evening. He participated in a road show in Tumakuru and the supporters were seen on the both sides of the road and welcomed the Prime Minister. PM Modi will head to Bengaluru to participate in a mega road show in the capital city which is scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. 

• May 05, 2023 03:55 PM IST

  Cong using money to create false narratives, PM Modi says

  PM Modi on Friday said, “In the last few years, Congress has been using power of money and its ecosystem to create false narratives in order to win elections. Congress will have to pay the price in this election, for playing politics at the time of crisis.” He was speaking at a rally in Ballari.

• May 05, 2023 03:13 PM IST

  Cong is a party with 85% commission, PM Modi says in Ballari

  PM Modi on Friday flipped back corruption charges levelled against the BJP and said Congress is a party that takes 85 per cent commission. The double-engine government under the leadership of Yeddyurappa ji and Bommai ji got a chance to serve for only three and a half years. When Congress government was here, it gave priority to corruption instead of Karnataka's development. What was the reason for this?" he asked.

  “Congress' former PM Rajiv Gandhi himself told that his govt sent 100 paise from Delhi, but only 15 paise reached the poor. In a way, he himself accepted that Congress is a party with 85% commission,” he said.

• May 05, 2023 03:05 PM IST

  Cong gets stomach ache when action taken against terrorism, says PM Modi

  PM Modi took a strong stand against terrorism on Friday while speaking in Ballari and said it is important for Karnataka to be free from terrorism to become the number one state in the country. 

  “Security system, law and order is the most important requirement to make Karnataka number one state of country. It is equally important for Karnataka to remain free from terrorism. BJP has always been tough against terrorism. But Congress gets stomach ache whenever action is taken on terrorism,” he said.

• May 05, 2023 02:58 PM IST

  Cong shielding terrorism for votebank, says PM Modi on The Kerala Story

  PM Narendra Modi on Friday spoke on the recently-released film ‘The Kerala Story’ during his speech in a election rally in Ballari, Karnataka, saying, “'The Kerala Story' film is based on a terror conspiracy. It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists' design. Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank.”

• May 05, 2023 02:50 PM IST

  Cong succumbed to terrorism for votebank, says PM Modi in Ballari

  Alleging that the Congress has “succumbed to terrorism” for the sake of its votebank, PM Modi on Friday said, “Can such a party ever save Karnataka? In the atmosphere of terror, the industry, IT industry, agriculture, farming and glorious culture here will be destroyed.”

  He was speaking at a public rally in Karnataka's Ballari.

• May 05, 2023 02:47 PM IST

  They are shivering, says PM Modi in attack over Cong's manifesto

  PM Modi attended a rally in poll-bound Karnataka's Ballari, where he mounted attacks on opposition Congress. 

  "We have the roadmap to make Karnataka number one. But Congress' manifesto has only fake narratives and bans in it. They are in such a condition that they are shivering. They dislike me invoking Bajrang Bali," he said.

• May 05, 2023 02:42 PM IST

  Cong manifesto all about appeasement & bans, says PM Modi in Ballari

  PM Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting in Ballari, Karnataka on Friday and said, “Congress makes fake narratives and surveys for winning politics. They attempt to mislead the voters in the state. Congress' manifesto is all about appeasement, it is all about bans. The people of Karnataka are watching their (Congress) politics of appeasement. They dislike me invoking Bajrang Bali.”

• May 05, 2023 02:23 PM IST

  "Is Congres manifesto a lie?" Smirti Irani asks DK Shivakumar

  Union minister Smriti Irani has responded to DK Shivakumar's ‘Hanuman temples in Karnataka’ promise and asked him if the Congress manifesto is a lie.

   She said, “The Congress manifesto says that Bajarang Dal will be banned but DK Shivakumar promises Hanuman temples in Karnataka. In that case, I want to ask the KPCC president, if the Congress manifesto is a lie. They cannot cheat the people of Karnataka.” 

• May 05, 2023 01:26 PM IST

  PM Modi's Bengaluru road show gets rescheduled again

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bengaluru road show got rescheduled for the second time, as there is a NEET examination on May 7 and the road show might lead to a traffic snarl. The BJP unit has now decided that a 26-kilometer road show will be preponed to May 6 and the rest eight kilometers will be covered on May 7 which is set to conclude by 11.30 am.

• May 05, 2023 01:11 PM IST

  Cong doing politics for Muslim votes, says Eshwarappa on Bajrang Dal ban row

  Karnataka BJP leader and former minister KS Eshwarappa spoke about the ongoing row over the Congress' manifesto mentioning a possible ban on Bajrang Dal, and said, “I welcome DK Shivakumar's move of going to the temple because he is a Hindu. But they are doing these types of politics for the Muslim votes.”

• May 05, 2023 12:21 PM IST

  Banning any group is not in state govt's power, says Jagadish Shettar

  Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Jagadish Shettar spoke to reporters about the party's proposal to ban the Bajrang Dal and said, "Many points are there in the election manifesto, why should we restrict to this issue. Banning any organization is the power of the central government, not the state government. Veerappa Moily clarified that there is no question of banning Bajrang Dal."

• May 05, 2023 11:46 AM IST

  Owaisi slams BJP, Cong over Bajrang Dal ban row

  AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi spoke to reporters in Kolar and said, “PM Modi asked the people of Karnataka to say ‘Jai Bajrangbali’ while casting vote. Congress’s DK Shivakumar said that if Congress comes back to power they will build more Hanuman temples in Karnataka. What kind of secularism is this? If I stand here and ask you to say ‘Allahu Akhbar’ when you cast vote on May 10, then media will slam me.” 

• May 05, 2023 10:50 AM IST

  Union minister Shobha Karandlaje recites ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ with BJP workers

  BJP MP and Union minister Shobha Karandlaje recited the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ along with party leaders and workers in Bengaluru's Malleshwaram amid a row over the Congress party's recently-released manifesto, which mentioned a proposal to ban organisations like the Bajrang Dal.