Page 8 - Karnataka Polls

PM Modi to embark on two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday and Sunday where he will address six public meetings and hold two roadshows. According to his itinerary, Modi will fly from Delhi on Saturday morning by a special aircraft to Bidar airport from where he will take a helicopter to Humnabad in Bidar district to address a public meeting at 11 am. After the meeting, he will fly to Vijayapura where he will address a public gathering at 1 pm. He would then fly to Kudachi in Belagavi district where he will address people at about 2.45 pm. Later, Modi would fly to Bengaluru in the evening to hold a road show in Bengaluru North. After staying in Bengaluru, he would then depart from Raj Bhavan on Sunday morning to fly to Kolar where he will address a public meeting at 11.30 am. From Kolar, the Prime Minister would then fly to Channapatna in Ramanagara district to address a public meeting at 1.30 pm. Modi would then go to the temple town of Belur

BJP preparing young team to lead Karnataka's development in next 25 yrs: PM

"The biggest difference between the BJP and other parties is of approach. The BJP is working on the roadmap of development of India in the next 25 years. Our rivals' agenda is to grab power"

Rahul to address rally in communally sensitive coastal Karnataka districts

Rahul Gandhi will visit Kapu in Udupi district and participate in an interaction programme with the fisher folks. Later, he will reach Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district and address a public rally

Belagavi's 18 seats face tough Cong-BJP contest; MES may play spoilsport

Belagavi district with second highest number of assembly seats after Bengaluru Urban -- is expected to face tough contest between the BJP and Congress as Lingayat politics surmounts the local issues, but the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) could play spoilsport in a few seats as it wants to keep the border issue alive. There are 18 assembly constituencies in the border district which is a Lingayat stronghold and has been a BJP bastion in the last two decades. As in the last three elections, it is likely to be a straight contest between the BJP and Congress in most of the assembly seats barring five where the Shiv Sena-NCP supported MES -- a vocal proponent of the inclusion of Belagavi and other Marathi-speaking areas in Maharashtra -- has fielded local candidates. The leadership vacuum in the Lingayat community after sidelining of stalwart leader B S Yediyurappa, demise of some prominent local Lingayat BJP leaders like Suresh Angadi and Umesh Katti and rising clout of politically

100% certain they will lose: Yediyurappa hits out at Shettar, Savadi

Hitting out at both the BJP deserters, Yediyurappa said, "I call on the people not to cast a single vote for Laxman Savadi and Jagdish Shettar, as they betrayed the BJP"

Advantage for BJP if Rahul, Priyanka campaign in Karnataka: CM Bommai

Bommai further said "the Congress leaders talk of social justice but the incumbent BJP government hiked the quota for the SC/ST communities as well as introduced internal reservations

UP CM slams Cong over anti-constitutional reservation ahead of K'taka polls

In his first election rally in poll-bound Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday attacked the Congress over religion-based reservation saying that it was against the Constitution. He also claimed that no riots took place in Uttar Pradesh in the past six years due to the strong ''double engine government". "Congress appeases the Popular Front of India (PFI) and gives religion-based reservation, which is against the Indian Constitution," Adityanath said during an election rally here in the Vokkaliga heartland, the stronghold of JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. He was referring to the four per cent reservation for Muslims under 2B category of the Other Backward Classes, which the BJP government in Karnataka scrapped at the fag end of its tenure saying that religion-based quota has no constitutional backing. After making 2B redundant, the Karnataka government split the four per cent reservation into two equal parts and increased the tw

Brazenly intimidatory statement: Cong slams Shah's remarks on K'taka polls

The Congress on Wednesday termed Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks that Karnataka will be afflicted with riots if the grand old party comes to power as a "brazenly intimidatory statement", and accused him of "issuing threats" during the election campaign. Addressing a public meeting on Tuesday in Karnataka's Belagavi district, Shah said the development of the state will be on the "reverse gear" if the Congress forms the government. "If the Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high and Karnataka will be afflicted with riots," the home minister had said. Hitting back at Shah, Congress general secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said, "This is a brazenly intimidatory statement. The Union Home Minister having allegiance to an organisation banned by India's very first Home Minister is now issuing threats during an election campaign when staring at certain defeat." The Congress had slammed Shah on Tuesday as well over his reported remarks that th

Amit Shah plays down pre-poll surveys, says BJP will win Karnataka polls

Shah also expressed confidence that the BJP will form the government by obtaining simple majority

Irani takes dig at Shettar, says can't be of ideology, religion, public

Union Minister Smriti Irani on the exit of Jagadish Shettar from the BJP said that those who cannot be of their religion, family or ideology, can never be of the public

Shah defends scrapping 4% reservation for Muslims in K'taka ahead of polls

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday defended the BJP government's decision in Karnataka of scrapping four per cent quota for Muslims saying the party never believed in religion-based reservation'. The former BJP chief also took a dig at Congress for its stand that the quota would be restored if it is voted to power in the state after the May 10 Assembly polls. "There was a religion based reservation of four per cent for Muslims. Without falling for the vote bank politics, the BJP government abolished the Muslim reservation," he said addressing a public meeting at Terdal in this district. "We believe that religion based reservation should not happen," Shah opined. The Minister added that after abolishing Muslim reservation, the BJP government increased the reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Vokkaligas and Lingayats. Referring to the Basavaraj Bommai government's decision to increase the SC reservation from 15 per cent to 17 per cent, Shah noted that the ..

Priyanka Gandhi attacks BJP govt on corruption in poll-bound Karnataka

Accusing the BJP government in Karnataka of rampant corruption, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged on Tuesday Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been "looted" from the state. She also expressed confidence about Congress coming to power after May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka and taking the state on the path of development. "What is most sad is the 40 per cent government commission that was there in the state looted you. They looted you without any shame," Vadra said while targeting the ruling BJP in the state. Seeking to highlight various alleged scams, contractors' committing suicide, and contractors association even writing a letter to the Prime Minister alleging scam, she said at a public meeting, "but there were no action, as many of those involved were associated with the BJP. " "You might have read about Rs 8 crore seized from the son of an MLA. Instead of investigating, the MLA carried out a parade. " "It is said Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been looted from Karnataka,"

Karnataka will be afflicted with riots if Cong comes to power: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said if the Congress comes to power in Karnataka, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high in the state and it will be 'afflicted with riots.' The former BJP chief also said the development of the state will be in "reverse gear" if the Congress forms the government. Seeking the people's mandate for "political stability" in Karnataka, which would vote on May 10, Shah said at a public meeting at Terdal in this district that only the BJP can lead the state towards a 'New Karnataka.' "If the Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high and Karnataka will be afflicted with riots," added Shah, one of the party's key poll strategists and campaigners. "If the Congress comes to power by mistake then corruption will be all-time high and there will be 'appeasement'," said Shah, who is on a two-day tour of Karnataka to hold a series of public meetings, roadshows and review meetings with his party leaders.

Karnataka polls: It's a pro-incumbency election, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday said he believed that the "Modi factor" would play a role in the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls and help return the BJP to power in this "pro-incumbency election". He described the Congress's campaign against the BJP government in the state as "40 per cent commission sarkar'' as a "fake narrative" to "deflect away" from the opposition party's "long history of corruption and exploitation of Karnataka". I "It's pro-incumbency election -- where BJP's 'double-engine sarkar' report card of service during the most challenging time in Karnataka's history with floods first and two years of covid is known to the people of Karnataka -- governance that was a sharp contrast to the years of Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) exploitation," the Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka told PTI. On the impact of the 'Modi factor' in the polls, he said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is India's most trusted and loved leader, and he has transformed political cultur

BJP leaders Amit Shah, JP Nadda to hold roadshows in southern Karnataka

In its latest round of electioneering in poll-bound Karnataka, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda will take part in separate roadshows in the southern part of the state on Monday. Shah arrived in Bengaluru on Sunday night. According to the itinerary shared by the BJP, Shah will fly to Mysuru to pay his obeisance at the renowned Chamundeshwari Temple. He will then take a helicopter ride from Mysuru to Gundlupet in Chamarajanagar district, and lead a roadshow from 1 pm to 2 pm. The Home Minister, who was a former BJP chief, will then fly to Sakaleshpura where he will take out another roadshow to boost party cadres from 3 pm to 4 pm. After heading back to Mysuru, he will fly in a special aircraft to Hubballi in northern Karnataka in the evening. The BJP leader will hold an Election Working Committee meeting with party leaders at a luxury hotel in Hubballi where he will be staying for the night. Meanwhile, BJP president J P Nadda will reach Bengaluru by a speci

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to visit K'taka on Tuesday ahead of assembly polls

With just weeks left for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to arrive in the state on Tuesday during which she will campaign for the party

Per capita income gap between Karnataka's richest, poorest districts widens

The average income in Bengaluru Urban, which continues to be the richest district in the state, was Rs 6.2 lakh in FY22. This is almost 5x higher than the income in in Kalaburagi

Easy to question others, difficult to question oneself: Rahul in Karnataka

Rahul Gandhi said the government bungalow located at Tughlaq Lane was given to him by the people of the country and he had stayed there for 19 years

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10 nominations for polls rejected in twin coastal districts of Karnataka

After the scrutiny of nominations for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election on Friday, seven nominations were rejected in Dakshina Kannada district and three in Udupi, officials said. In Dakshina Kannada, nominations of 72 candidates were received while in Udupi, the number of papers that were complete and in accordance with the prescribed format were 39. As many as 109 and 88 nominations were submitted initially in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, respectively. One nomination in Mangaluru North constituency and two each in the constituencies of Mangaluru South, Mangaluru and Bantwal got rejected. In Udupi, nominations of Shankara Ankadakatte for Kundapur constituency, Udayakumar M and Dayananda Shetty for Karkala constituency were rejected. Ten nominations in Belthangady, nine in Moodbidri, 12 in Mangaluru city north, eight each in Mangaluru city south and Mangaluru, six in Bantwal, 10 in Puttur and nine in Sullia are in the prescribed format. April 24 is the last date for withdrawal