The campaigning has intensified in poll-bound Karnataka and so have the incidents of the blame game. With the Election Commission nearing the completion of nomination scrutiny, the Congress has alleged that the state Chief Minister's Office is calling returning officers of various districts to find defects in the applications filed by opposition candidates and rectify the mistakes in those of BJP nominees. Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar demanded the Election Commission investigate the matter. Reacting to the allegations, Chief Minister BS Bommai said that the Election Commission is an independent body and works according to its own rules. 


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DK Shivakumar said that a major conspiracy is going on to reject the applications of the Congress candidates. Giving an example of one incident, he claimed that Karnataka CMO directly called the returning office to rectify mistakes in the nomination of a BJP candidate from the Saundatti Yellamma constituency. "There is no need to elaborate on how a big team is trying to reject (my) application. You all have been informed about it," he said while demanding a probe into the matter.


Reacting to the allegations, Chief Minister BS Bommai said, "Election Commission is a constitutionally formed, independent body. It runs by the rules of the Election Commission. So, there is no question of interference. He is scared of his defeat, so he is making baseless, useless allegations every morning. I need not answer all that." Bommai also asked Congress to first set its house in order and added that Shivakumar should first look within. He said that what Shivakumar did to Siddaramaiah is well known to all. 



According to the state election commission, a total of 3,044 valid nominations were found till Friday and scrutiny of nominations of Savadatti-Yellamma, Aurad, Haveri (SC), Raichur and Shivajinagar constituencies is likely to be completed today. Out of the 3,044 validly nominated candidates -- 219 are from BJP, 218 Congress, 207 from JD(S), while the rest are all from small parties and Independents, according to the CEO's office.


A total of 4,989 nominations have been received from these candidates. Karnataka will vote in a single phase on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.