Karnataka elections 2018: For fair elections, poll duty vehicles to feature GPS

As the state of Karnataka is set to go to the polls May 12, preparations are on in full swing. It has now been reported that all the vehicles on poll duty will be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices so that a free and fair election is ensured.

Karnataka Assembly election will be held in a single phase in the south Indian state and people from 224 constituencies will vote for their choice of candidates. The counting for the elections is scheduled for May 15.

As the battle for Karnataka heats up, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have been taking digs at each other and also holding rallies across the state. In tune, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address 16 rallies in eight days in the state April 29 onwards.

Modi will address the first rally at Kolar and move on to Raichur, Bellari, Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Udupi, Jamakhandi, Bengaluru, Kalaburgi, Kalaburgi, Hubballi, Shivamonga, Tumkuru and Mangaluru. Another two rallies have been scheduled for April 9, but the venue is yet to be finalized, reported Firstpost.

The BJP also released its list of candidates for the May 12 poll Monday, April 16. Before this, the party had released another list of candidates April 8, which featured names like chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, and senior leaders Jagadish Shettar and K S Eshwarappa.

Yeddyurappa, the former chief minister of the state, will contest the election from the Shikaripura constituency. The BJP has been slammed for excluding Muslim candidates from the list and instead allotting tickets to tainted candidates.

Meanwhile, the Congress also released a list of its candidates and chief minister Siddaramaiah will contest the 2018 election from Chamundeshwari.