Karnataka: Polling in Rajarajeshwari Nagar deferred following fake voter ID card row

Polling in the constituency will now be held on May 28 . The counting for it will be done on May 31.

Polling officials collect EVMs and other election material on the eve of Karnataka Assembly elections. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The Karnataka Assembly election due on Saturday will not see polling in the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency in Bengaluru. Election Commission of India has deferred the polling in RR Nagar assembly constituency to May 28. The EC ordered postponement of elections to the Rajrajeshwari Nagar assembly seat in saying there is "definite inference" to suggest that efforts were made to induce voters, PTI reported. The counting for RR Nagar assembly poll will be held on May 31. The decision comes days after nearly 10,000 voter identity cards were recovered from a flat in the constituency.

Bengaluru: Polling in RR Nagar has been deferred. Polling to now be held on May 28 and counting on May 31. Earlier this week 9746 voter IDs were seized from a flat in the area. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/j4ReRNICU3

— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2018

The Election Commission on Wednesday  had filed a First Information Report (FIR) on finding counterfoils and 9,746 voters ID cards in the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar Assembly seat in the southern suburb. On preliminary verification, the voter cards were found to be genuine, while the counterfoils were to be verified through investigation, Kumar said. Five laptops and one printer were also found in the apartment, he added. Election will now be held in Karnataka on May 12, in 222 constituencies out of 224 of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Election has already  been postponed in one constituency following the death of B.N. Vijay Kumar, Jayanagar BJP candidate. The counting of votes and announcement of result will take place on 15 May 2018. The two opposition parties, Bharatiya Janata Party (42 seats) and Janta Dal (S) (29 seats), along with their allies, will take on the incumbent Indian National Congress (119 seats), while Aam Aadmi Party will mark its debut in the state.