Karnataka Assembly Polls: Kannada Movie Stars Kiccha Sudeep, Darshan likely To Join BJP Today

Bengaluru: Ahead of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections, popular Kannada movie stars - Sudeep (Kiccha Sudeep) and Darshan Tugudeepa - are likely to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday. According to the party sources, both actors will join the party at 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm at a private hotel in Karnataka`s Bengaluru. "They will join the party in the presence of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other party leaders," sources said. 

Both the ruling BJP and the main opposition party Congress have sharpened their attack on each other ahead of the assembly polls. Terming the ruling BJP a 'sinking ship' in Karnataka which even Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot save, Congress leaders on Tuesday said their party is "united" in the southern state and will ensure the "40 percent commission" government is ousted.

The Congress also claimed that it had information that the BJP is unable to select its candidates as a "mass exodus" is happening in the party and Prime Minister Modi is "resorting to its last weapon of misusing Income Tax and ED officials" against Congress leaders and candidates. The Congress was the first to declare 124 candidates for the May 10 election to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly.

Meanwhile, pointing to the infighting going on in the Congress, Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai said, "Congress Party will not come to power and they are fighting for the seats which they cannot win. That party is fighting for power and the CM`s post, and not doing good things for the people of Karnataka. The utterances of Siddaramaiah indicate what`s happening inside the Congress party. 

Bommai also said that the Bharatiya Janata Party`s Parliamentary Board would finalise and release the list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state on April 8. The Chief Minister said that the selection of the candidates has been done based on winnability.

"The selection of candidates had been done based on reality and winnability. The state-committee meeting will be held for two days starting today, and after the meeting, the list of candidates will be sent to the high command. The same will be vetted on April 8 and released on the same day," the Chief Minister said.

The names recommended by the district committees will be discussed during the State Core Committee meeting on Tuesday and then send to the Central Parliamentary Board, he further said. Reiterating that the party will return to power in the Assembly polls, he said, "Witnessing developments in the last three to four days, the BJP will get an absolute majority in the coming Assembly polls.

"He said that there will be "unexpected results" in some constituencies. "Unexpected results would come in some constituencies. The rank and file of the party are confident of the BJP getting a full majority in the May 10 polls," he said. Bommai further took a swipe at Congress which is claiming to win the elections and said that the party would not come to power.

Karnataka will go to Assembly polls on May 10 and the counting of votes will be done on May 13.