Karnataka election date leaked

O P Rawat. Pic/PTI

BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya on Tuesday tweeted the date of the Karnataka Assembly polls before the Election Commission announced it, prompting the panel to describe the leak as a "very serious issue" that merited a probe and "stringent action".

Malviya, however, tweeted that he had only quoted a news channel. His tweet came when Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat was addressing a press conference to announce the schedule for Karnataka polls but had not announced the date.

The BJP IT cell head said the election would be held on May 12 and counting would take place on May 18. While he was correct on the polling day, the votes will be counted on May 15.

When Rawat's attention was drawn towards the tweet, he described it as a "very serious issue". He said people can conjecture but noted that as information has been "leaked", the EC will probe the matter and take "stringent action" both "legally and administratively". The CEC later said the tweet was incorrect as the actual date of counting was May 15 and not May 18. As the EC announced the dates in the national capital, BJP president Amit Shah was in Karnataka on the last day of a two-day tour of the state, leading his party's bid to unseat the Congress from the only big state it continues to rule.

If the stakes are high for the BJP, which believes that a win would reaffirm its position before the LS elections, they are higher still for the Congress as a defeat will be a telling blow to its political fortunes, say political observers.