Karnataka Election 2018: Income Tax raids on Congress MLA B Shivanna

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday condemned I-T raids on Congress MLA B Shivanna's residence in Anekal, Bengaluru rural district. Siddaramaiah said the raid was politically motivated. Siddaramaiah, who is campaigning in Mysore district, said he didn't object to raids, but objected to timings of the raid during assembly elections.

Siddaramaiah said the I-T department targetted Anekal Congress MLA B Shivanna because he is a strong contender in the constituency. According to initial reports, the Shivanna's office and residences were raided by I-T sleuths. According to News 18 report, the Income Tax department raided the residence of B Shivanna at the behest of Election Commission. Income tax officials said that since EC does not have powers to enter candidates' homes, the Commission alerted IT that considerable cash was stashed at Shivanna's home. The IT officials then raided Shivanna's home at 5.30 am. They completed the raid at 9.30 am, but did not recover anything. The raid comes incidentally a day after the ruling Congress announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming elections. The MLA could not be reached for a comment.