Karnataka Election 2023: DK Shivakumar's temple run... and conspiracy claim (WATCH)

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar offered prayers early Saturday morning at the Eshwara temple of Malagalu in Kanakapura taluk of Ramanagara district of Karnataka.

Shivakumar took a holy bath there and offered a special pooja. He is one of the frontrunners for the post of chief minister if the Congress party manages to secure a majority in the Karnataka assembly. Even villagers offered a special pooja in Shivakumar's name.

Later in the day, Shivakumar alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's office is calling up the returning officers of various districts to find defects in the applications filed by its candidates and rectify the mistakes in those of BJP nominees contesting the May 10 Assembly election. 

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief demanded that the Election Commission investigates the matter and summons the call details of the CMO to ascertain the truth. 

"A major conspiracy is going on to reject the applications of the Congress candidates," the party's Karnataka unit chief said in a press conference. 

He charged that some applications of the BJP candidates, for instance in Saundatti Yellamma constituency, are defective but the CMO "directly called the officer and directed him to make changes". 

"There is no need to elaborate on how a big team is trying to reject (my) application. You all have been informed about it," the Congress state chief said. 

Shivakumar said he has filed the election form 10 times yet "When they can do this to me then imagine what they can do to the ordinary candidates".  "Pressure is being built on all the returning officers. There is rampant misuse of power. The EC must take note of it. The CMO must be investigated," the Kanakapura candidate demanded.