Karnataka polls: SC blocks Janardhana Reddy's campaign in Ballari; updates

Karnataka polls: Campaigning by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi crossing swords over a plethora of issues, including corruption. While Modi said the Karnataka government was a "gold medallist" in corruption and that Congress leaders were "drunk on power", Gandhi hit right back accusing the BJP of corruption in Rafale fighter jet deal and protecting fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. The BJP on Friday released its manifesto for the May 12 polls, promising a plethora of programmes and initiatives for the state's farmers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also in the poll-bound state, where he took a swipe at the Siddaramaiah government, accusing it of carrying out divisive and corrupt politics. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit back on Twitter, flaying Adityanath for being in his state for electioneering when 64 people had lost their lives due to a dust storm in Uttar Pradesh.

Further, after the BJP complained to the Election Commission (EC) over what it alleged was the Congress' attempt at playing the "communal card" in the poll-bound state to woo Muslim voters, the Congress on Thursday complained to the EC against the BJP's Karnataka unit for "getting published false and misleading advertisements" in newspapers to malign the public image of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka polls: Modi rally at Kalaburagi; Rahul gives him F grade; updates

Karnataka Assembly election 2018 is seeing a fierce competition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday undertaking his third round of campaigning in the poll-bound state and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on the same day visiting Karnataka for an eighth time this year. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also campaign in Karnataka today. While Modi addressed a rally at Kalaburagi early afternoon, Gandhi gave the Modi government an 'F' grade in his report card for its performance in uplifting agriculture in the state.

Ahead of the May 12 Assembly election, Modi had launched his campaign blitzkrieg on Tuesday, with a blistering attack on the Congress party chief Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Further, a day after Modi lavished praise on him at an election rally in Karnataka, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda sought to play it down amid speculation of a BJP-JD(S) alliance or tacit understanding between the parties for the election. His remark came after Modi lashed out at Gandhi for "insulting" Gowda, saying that it showed his "arrogance". Countering Modi's statement, the Congress said that its president had not shown any disrespect to Gowda.