Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya , who had represented Karnataka twice in the Rajya Sabha, on Friday said it was his democratic right to vote in the state assembly polls, but lamented that he cannot travel to India, where he is wanted to face charges of fraud and money laundering. The 62-year-old former parliamentarian had first represented Karnataka as the member of the Upper House of Parliament between April 10, 2002 and April 9, 2008. He was re-elected for the Rajya Sabha from the southern state on July 1, 2010 and resigned on May 5, 2016 before his the expiry of his term on June 30, 2016. When asked about his opinion on the Karnataka polls, he said “I haven’t been following the politics so closely, so I have no opinion (on the polls).”The elections for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly is scheduled to be held across the state on May 12. The results will be out on May 15.

Source: Hindustan Times April 27, 2018 12:22 UTC