Bangalore:

With just a week before the state goes to polls, campaigning in Karnataka picks up steam. After Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will start his tour of the state on Monday.

Singh will address two public meetings on Monday. He will first make a speech in Hubli, the most important city in north Karnataka which was a BJP stronghold till recently.

From Hubli, the Prime Minister will fly down to address the Gowda family bastion of Bangalore rural. The Congress is trying to mobilise over 50,000 people at both the places. In 2008, Singh had addressed a closed door meeting in Bangalore.

source:http://ibnlive.in.com

Bangalore:

Addressing the much awaited poll rally here on Sunday, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress party for failing on all fronts and urged the people of Karnataka to vote the BJP back to power in the state.

Lashing out at the Congress Modi said that the country knows too well as to what the grand old part was capable of and so the voters would not make the mistake of handing over the reins of Karnataka to them.

Urging the voters not to trust the Congress he said, “Can anyone make the mistake of liking the Congress? People gave Delhi to them and faced the consequences.”

“I want voters to ask the Congress - every form of government is in Delhi and CBI is also in Delhi. However, is Delhi safe and secure? So how can anyone have faith in the Congress? If they cannot manage Delhi, how can they manage Karnataka,” he asked.

“We have to save the state. Karnataka should not go into the hands of the Congress party,” he added.

Attacking the Congress further Modi said, “It is in the blood of Congress party to go back on what they say. They had promised to reduce price rise but it was not to be. On the contrary price has been rising relentlessly.”

Accepting the fact that all was not well as far as the BJP was concerned in Karnataka, the Gujarat Chief Minister said, “We were faced with internal turmoil for the past couple of months. But we did not let that come in the path of progress and development of the state.”

He also praised Karnataka CM saying, “No one could have run the state the way Jagdish Shetter did inspite of the fact that he was faced with so many obstacles.

Modi exhorted the voters to vote the BJP back to power, “Karnataka is going to decide as to what their future is going to be for the next five years. Whoever is bothered about the future of the state will vote for BJP in large numbers.”

“I have as much faith in the voters of Karnataka as I have in the voters of Gujarat. I am sure the people will once again make BJP victorious,” he added.

He rebuked the Congress for not revealing as to who their CM candidate is going to be. “The Congress should at least say as to who their CM will be. Nobody knows as to whose hand it’s going to be,” he said.

Taking a dig at Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi said that if power was ‘poison’ then what was the Congress vice president doing by going around asking people to vote for the Congress in Karnataka.

Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and BJP president Rajnath Singh have already campaigned for the party in the state.

The elections in the state will be held on May 5.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had earlier attacked the BJP government in Karnataka, accusing it of having created "a world record" in corruption.

Addressing a rally here on the second leg of his tour for the May five Assembly polls, he said the BJP talked about corruption at the Centre, but "corruption in the state did not come to their attention."

source:http://zeenews.india.com

BANGALORE:

Pounding pavement and pressing flesh may still be favoured methods of canvassing, but top politicians in Karnataka, lured by the prospect of reaching out to a large number of potential voters at virtually no cost, have suddenly taken to opening Facebook and Twitter accounts.

While social media does provide politicians with an additional platform to campaign, the real war among them is to check who's getting more hits. Old-timers like G Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah, R Ashoka and Jagadish Shettar are among those who are now on Facebook and Twitter with just weeks left for the elections.

Most politicians do not operate their accounts themselves; these are managed by professionals. Deputy chief minister R Ashoka admits he doesn't operate his Facebook account everyday. Some experts are voluntarily operating his page which has considerable hits since it went live a few weeks ago. Health minister Aravind Limbavali, popular in the social media going by the number of hits, said Facebook and Twitter have helped him reach out to many segments of society. His friends' list has crossed 5,000 and he has opened a new account.

"Analytics and use of social media have become important factors in politics," said Bangalore-based co-founder of Analytics Quotient Neerav Naik. "In the 2012 US elections, both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama leveraged social media to promote themselves. Using such media to increase popularity is not as extensively used in India as in the West. The Karnataka polls can be a testing ground for social media in the run-up to next year's big elections," Naik added.

Pictures of netas doing social work and talking about humanitarian causes are a common sight. One picture that has got many comments for Ashoka is a placard saying, "We don't have vote, but heart for you." Most of these are students from the Northeast, who had a torrid time last August after fake videos of Bodo-Muslim violence went viral on the web and they were attacked. Ashoka also participated in a function organized by the community in Bangalore.

Siddaramaiah's pictures show him canvassing. Now a separate page, 'Siddaramaiah as CM', has opened, and is operated by his son Rakesh. Pages of Lok Satta candidates like Meenakshi Bharath and Ashwin Mahesh, too, have huge following.

Chief minister Jagadish Shettar has put Bhagyalakshmi scheme and other government schemes as part of his achievements, and has over 5,000 hits. Former minister Shobha Karandlaje has long been active on social media.

The reach, penetration and impact of social media have made it essential for politicians to join in. The urban population depends on social media for jobs, marriages, important decisions like buying cars, property, and networking, etc. Most observers say public opinions and voting can be influenced by social media.

"Bangalore being a metropolitan city, politicians are using social media as a platform to run their campaigns," said Sridhar Ramanujam, CEO of the firm, Brand-Comm. "The city is an ideal testing ground for candidates, thanks to its high rate of internet penetration among the young and tech-savvy population. Political parties are circulating tailored messages to their target audience to gain maximum support," he added.

source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Parties woo IT professionals ,surveys show IT workers in Karnataka State can influence outcomes in 25 assembly seats, Karnataka Assembly Election Update.

Bangalore:

With less than a week to go for the Assembly elections campaigning is in full swing in Karnataka. The generals have now landed on the battlefield.

After Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, now Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will start his tour of the state. He will first address a public meeting in Hubli which was a BJP stronghold till recently.

But the question is whether Dr Singh will be able to motivate Bangaloreans to come out and vote as just 44 per cent did so last time.

Thirty-five per cent of the country's IT workforce is employed in Bangalore and ahead of the Karnataka polls, political parties are doing their best to woo this sizeable segment. Recent surveys show there are 50 lakh IT workers in the state and they can influence outcomes in 25 assembly seats.

The problem, though, is abysmal voter turnout among these professionals. In the 2008 Assembly elections, Bangalore registered just 44 per cent voting and in the 2009 General elections a mere 47 per cent. Nonetheless, political parties are keeping their hopes high.

K\'aka: Parties woo IT professionals; will they come out and vote?

Recent surveys show there are 50 lakh IT workers in the state and they can influence outcomes in 25 assembly seats.

Karnataka Janata Paksha leader Michael Fernandes said, "I am quite sure they'll make a difference to the outcome if they all turn up and vote." BJP spokesperson Kiran Reddy said, "We have placed extreme importance to the IT sector and we have also spread IT to the rural areas and are focussing now on establishing IT in other areas."

Public campaigns, though, have not yielded results before. Ajit Phadnis of the Loksatta Party said, "The root of the problem is that none of the political parties sincerely take up their issues and they feel they are not represented."

But many such as ITEC, a support group for IT employees in Bangalore, are hopeful of a change in the voters attitude this time. "The IT industry is a very vulnerable group. There are no labour laws and the global economy is down, so we just want to know what is the support system we have from the government," said Sandeep, an IT employee.

"Nowadays, every office encourages people to vote and they themselves give electronic forms and all. IT people by themselves have started realising their social responsibilities," said Bharati, another IT Employee. The big question now is whether this enthusiasm will turn into votes come May 5.

source:http://ibnlive.in.com

Authorities seized 500 kg Ammonium Nitrate In karnataka poll 2013, Karnataka election, karnataka news, karnataka election update, karnataka latest political news.

Bangalore:

Authorities have seized 500 kg Ammonium Nitrate, used recently to carry out blasts in the Karnataka capital, from Kolar district of the state, officials said.

The huge seizure of the chemical, widely used to make explosives, was made yesterday by a Election Commission appointed flying squad deployed to check illegal activities in the run up to the May 5 polls in the state, they said.

The team seized 25 bags, each containing 20 kg Ammonium Nitrate, and arrested one person named Mehboob from Kolar district.

The police is probing the case now. The bags show that the chemical was made in South Korea, a senior official said.

The state capital had witnessed blasts on April 17 which injured 16 people, including 11 policemen, and security agencies had concluded that nitrate compounds were used.

Meanwhile, the EC-appointed teams also seized over Rs 11 crore cash and 49,000 litres of liquor in the poll-bound state.

The special teams have also seized other items worth Rs 3.76 crore after they were suspected to be used to lure voters, a source said.

"The total cash seizure till now is Rs 11.80 crore, while a total of 49,132 litres of illegal liquor have been seized in the poll-bound state," he said.

EC has deputed a team of Income Tax department officers and other state government officials along with state police to keep a tab on illegal cash, liquor and inducements suspected to be used in the state.

source:http://zeenews.india.com