The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Wednesday, announced the schedule for assembly elections in Karnataka. According to the schedule of the assembly elections, the polling will be done on May 10, whereas the vote counting will be done on May 13.

Karnataka Assembly elections is anticipated to be a big showdown between the two national parties in the country: BJP and Congress. BJP are hopeful to retain incumbency, whereas the Congress have shown confidence to unseat the BJP.

The polling will be done 224 Assembly constituencies and over 5.21 crore people will be eligible to vote in the election due on May 10. As per the reports, out of 5.21 crore voters, 9.17 Lakh will be the first-time voters. The polling across the 224 seats will be done in a single phased manner.

BJP emerged as the leading party Karnataka in 2018 by being the single-largest party. The BJP claimed majority by sweeping 104 seats out of the 224, whereas, its counterpart Congress trailed behind by winning 80. Janata Dal (Secular) bagged 37. However, Congress and JD(S) alliance led to the Congress-JD(S) alliance to form a government.

Subsequently, in 2019, rebellion leaders jumped ships to the BJP which led to BJP coming in power. BS Yediyurappa was entrusted with the Chief Ministorial role who was later in 2021 replaced by Basavaraj Bommai.

Congress on Karnataka Assembly elections

Congress’s state chief DK Shivakumar spoke to the media and asserted confidence in unseating the BJP. Shivakumar, in his statement to the media, said that this election will be development-oriented and for a corruption-free state.

The Congress recently also released the first list of 124 candidates ahead of the polls which also had former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Pradesh Congress Committee chief DK Shivakumar.

BJP on Karnataka Assembly elections

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also spoke to the media on the Karnataka Assembly elections and said that the BJP are prepared for the elections. He also claimed that the BJP will return to power with a huge majority.

JD(S) role in Karnataka Assembly elections

The role of Janata Dal (Secular) can be crucial one if the result become a hung election. The JD(s) can prove to be the kingmaker in the state if the situation arises.

India saw a single-day rise of 2,151 fresh Covid-19 cases which is the highest in nearly 5 months. With the new cases being logged in the country on Wednesday, the active cases rose to 11,903.

According to the Union Health Ministry data, it was on October 28 when the country recorded a total of 2,208 cases and since then the cases were on a decline. But now the graph of Covid-19 cases is going up day by day.

The country also logged seven fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,30,848. Three fatality cases were reported in Maharashtra and Kerala each while one was reported in Karnataka.

The data shows the daily positivity in the country stands at 1.51 percent, while the weekly positivity is pegged at 1.53 percent. The number of people who have recovered from Covid jumped to 4,41,66,925 with over 1,200 fresh recoveries.

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The country administered 11,336 Covid-19 vaccines in the last 24 hours. India has so far administered 220.65 crore vaccine doses under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Speaking about the booster doses, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said there’s no need for additional Covid-19 vaccine booster doses for regular, medium-risk adults if they have already received their primary vaccination course and one booster dose.

Following the surge in cases, Secretary of the Ministry of Health Rajesh Bhushan held a meeting with officials from various states and reviewed the nation’s Covid-19 preparedness. State authorities have also been told to undertake mock drills at health facilities on April 10 and 11 to ensure the operational readiness of medical infrastructure.

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Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh who is still at large was spotted on Delhi roads on Tuesday. The Punjab Police is on a hunt to nab the radical Sikh preacher who fled from Punjab last week.

A video of Waris Punjab De chief is going viral on social media showing a Khalistan sympathizer without a turban and wearing a mask. The CCTV footage purportedly from a market in Delhi shows the fugitive strolling down a street wearing dark sunglasses and a denim jacket.

His aide Papalpreet Singh could be seen following behind him while carrying a suitcase. Papalpreet Singh is said to be Amritpal Singh’s mentor. He was allegedly in contact with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. Both wore masks to conceal their identities.

According to the reports, the CCTV footage is said to be from March 21, three days after the police moved in to arrest him in Punjab on March 18.

There are reports that Amritpal Singh and Papalpreet Singh came to Delhi via Kurukshetra in Haryana. It’s not clear if he is still hiding in the national capital or has scooted from there too. There is no official word from Punjab Police on the fresh footage.

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India’s Himalayan neighbour Nepal has already put Amritpal Singh on its surveillance list as he could attempt a border crossing using a fake passport.

The move to arrest Amritpal Singh comes after his supporters stormed the Ajnala Police Station near Amritsar with guns and swords to demand the release of one of their aides. Six police personnel were injured during the incident.

Punjab Police has so far arrested 353 people for breaching of peace and creating a disturbance of law and order in the state.

Amritpal Singh heads Waris Punjab De, a radical organisation started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu who died in a car accident last year. The charges against Amritpal Singh include using young people to take up arms and commit acts of violence with his private militia, the Anandpur Khalsa Fauj, or AKF.

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