Karnataka in 2016: A mixed bag

Water wars with neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Goa over Cauvery and Mahadayi rivers marked the high point of variegated developments from Karnataka during 2016 that also saw BJP strongman B S Yeddyurappa's return to state politics with a target to regain power in the next Assembly polls in 2018.
The Congress government in the state that managed to win only one of the three seats that went for bypolls during the year also had to face embarrassment with a minister having to quit over an alleged sex CD scandal and another being caught on camera scrolling through sleazy pictures on his mobile at a public function.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has been facing murmurs of discontent within the party after his decision to sack 14 ministers and to induct an equal number of them, was alsoembroiled in a controversy over owning an expensive Hublot watch.
BJP also faced its share of disgruntlement within, with senior leader K S Eshwarappa openly expressing displeasure over the unilateral functioning of its newly-appointed state chief Yeddyurappa.
With an eye on 2018 assembly polls, BJP appointed Lingayat strongman Yeddyurappa. Considered as the clear contender for the chief minister's post, Yeddyurappa has set a target of 150 seats.
JD(S) too was troubled by dissidence and had to sack eight of its MLAs for cross voting in favour of Congress during Rajya Sabha polls.

Karnataka saw cases of police officials quitting service

or committing suicide alleging interference and harassment.
One such incident had led to resignation of minister K JGeorge who along with two senior IPS officials were named by DySP M K Ganapathy in an interview to a TV channel before committing suicide. George returned as minister after being given a clean chit in a probe.
On the business front in the state, the legal battles involving liquor baron Vijay Mallya, change of guard at Wipro with Abid Ali Neemuchwala taking over as new CEO, top management rejig at e-commerce major Flipkart made headlines.

The launch of the first squadron of two Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, and series of successful satellite launches by Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO including the flight of reusable launch vehicle - technology demonstrator and launch of 20 satellites in a single flight, showcased India's technological and engineering prowess to the world.
Karnataka found itself amid a legal and political
battle on the Cauvery and Mahadayi rivers water sharing disputes on which the state has locked horns with neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Goa respectively.
The state witnessed large-scale violence as successive court and tribunal's decisions on both the issues were not in favour of Karnataka. Two persons were killed during the Cauvery-related violence in Bengaluru in September following the Supreme Court's directive to release water to Tamil Nadu, which also triggered widespread arson.

Following the Supreme Court's successive directives to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, two special sessions of the legislature were held in a span of 10 days to decide on the state's course of action following the court's directive.
Karnataka legislature through a unanimous resolution had decided to use water at reservoirs only for its drinking water needs, but later altered it after court warned about the "wrath of the law".
On the Mahadayi water issue also, the state has for long
been demanding Prime Minister's intervention to resolve the issue with Goa over water sharing.
Karnataka's petition to the Mahadayi tribunal seeking the release of 7.56 tmcft of water for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project was rejected in an interim order on July 27, leading to violence in the northern districts of the state.

A blockbuster wedding of mining baron and former minister B Janardhan Reddy's daughter marked by unmitigated opulence that took place at the sprawling Palace Grounds last month had raised a firestorm of controversy.
The five-day extravaganza with ceremonies held against the backdrop of lavish settings that concluded with the ostentatious wedding stirred a huge row over its timing when people across the country are reeling under cash crunch after demonetisation of high value currencies.
After the opulent wedding, Reddy, who had come under the
scanner of the IT department, is now at the centre of a fresh row, with the car driver of a state official allegedly committing suicide, leaving a note claiming he got Rs 100 crore converted into white money for the the marriage.

In a huge relief to Yeddyurappa, a special CBI court here in October acquitted him along with his two sons and son-in-law in a Rs 40 crore illegal mining case, which had cost him chief ministership in 2011 following indictment by the then Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde. He had spent about three weeks in jail in October 2011, before he was granted bail.