NEW DELHI: In a setback for the Siddaramaiah government in poll-bound Karnataka, former Congress MLA Malikayya Venkayya Guttedar and chairperson of the state's Yadgir City Municipal Council Lalitha Anpur joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday.



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With just a month to go for Karnataka Assembly Elections, both ruling Congress and opposition BJP have entered a high-pitched battle on the ground and on social media.


Last week, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had launched a scathing attack on Narendra Modi government and the BJP at an election rally, accusing the former of benefitting from the rich people. "It's a war of ideology between the BJP and the Congress," Gandhi had said.


Karnataka polls are scheduled to be held in a single phase on May 12 and the counting of votes will be done on May 15. VVPAT machines, apart from EVMs, will be deployed in Karnataka for the polls.


The date of notification is April 17 and the last date to file nominations is April 24. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 25 and the last day for withdrawal is April 27.


The 224-member Assembly expires on May 28 in the state where the Congress is currently in power, with 122 seats against the BJP's 43. Karnataka is one of the eight states where polls were scheduled this year.


While Siddaramaiah-led Congress is eyeing a second term in the state, BJP wants to spread its wings to the 22nd state.