By IANS,
Bangalore : Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya Saturday said security cannot be provided to the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches here before May 4 as the state goes to a two-phase poll in April.
“We have informed the concerned authorities that we can provide security only after May 4,” Acharya told IANS.
“Before the elections it will not be possible to provide security. We have commitment to other states also (sending police force to help during elections),” he said.
“We can provide security between May 4 and May 14,” he said. Counting of votes in the five-phase Lok Sabha polls takes place May 16.
This was also conveyed by Bangalore city police commissioner Shankar Bidari to the Bangalore Royal Challengers team based here, owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya.
Bidari told Challengers representatives, who met him here Friday, that the city police “cannot to give security for IPL matches until May 3 in view of Lok Sabha elections in the state April 23 and 30.”
Bidari suggested that matches be played on May 4, 7, 10, 11, 14 19 and 20, a spokesperson of the team said.
According to the IPL schedule, matches were to be played in Bangalore on April 14, 19, 23 and May 3, 7, 15 and 19.