Page 93 - Karnataka

57% angry with BJP government In Karnataka, want change: CVoter poll

An exclusive survey-cum-opinion poll conducted by CVoter in Karnataka ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections reveals that as many as 57% of the respondents are angry with the state govt

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Make AAP national party, give all facilities in K'taka polls: Sanjay Singh

The AAP on Wednesday demanded that the Election Commission recognise it as a national party "immediately" and ensure it gets all the facilities during the Karnataka Assembly polls a national party is entitled to. The poll panel said earlier in the day it was looking into the issue of granting national status to the Aam Aadmi Party. "The Election Commission announced the schedule for Karnataka elections today but we have a grievance with it," AAP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sanjay Singh said at a press conference. He lamented that the poll panel has not yet taken any decision on the matter even after the AAP fulfilled the conditions required to be declared a national party with its performance in Punjab, Gujarat and Goa polls last year. "Election Commission has not officially given national party status to AAP despite the party ruling Delhi and Punjab and has two MLAs with over 6 per cent vote share in Goa. The party also has five MLAs in Gujarat where it secured about

BJP confident of returning to power with absolute majority: Karnataka CM

The ruling BJP is confident of returning to power in Karnataka with absolute majority, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday. The Election Commission announced today that the polls to the 224-member Assembly would be held on May 10. Bommai, who was speaking to reporters, said he had toured almost all the constituencies in the State in the last three-and-half months. I am fully confident that we will get an absolute and clear majority and the BJP government will come (back) to power in 2023, he said. Speaking about how the party was connecting with the public, the Chief Minister said the BJP had used various means to reach out to the people, including digital technology and campaigning by top party leaders. To a question about the likely candidates for the election, Bommai said that in the BJP the process of releasing the list of candidates would start after election dates are announced. Already we have the survey reports (on winnable candidates). Along with that, we wi

Have cancelled govt events, will actively take part in rallies: CM Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated on Wednesday that he has cancelled all government programmes after the announcement of election dates for the Karnataka Assembly

Karnataka BJP MLA sent to Lokayukta custody for 5 days in bribery case

A Special Court for people's representatives on Wednesday sent Karnataka BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa to Lokayukta police custody for five days in connection with a corruption case

Irrigation projects worth Rs 5,500 crore sanctioned in Karnataka: CM Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that irrigation projects worth Rs 5,500 crore have been sanctioned and launched across the state

Election Commission to announce Karnataka Assembly elections schedule today

The Election Commission of India will announce the schedule of the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka slated this year at 11

Karnataka clears 55 industrial projects worth Rs 3,451.24 cr investment

Karnataka Industries and Commerce Department on Tuesday said it has cleared a total of 55 investment proposals worth Rs 3,451.24 crore, promising 33,049 employment opportunities. The 139th State Level Single Window Clearance Committee (SLSWCC) meeting was held under the chairmanship of Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries Murugesh R Nirani on Monday to decide on investment clearances. The committee considered and approved eight "important large and medium size industrial projects" with investments of more than Rs 50 crore. These projects are worth Rs 2,012.14 crore and are expected to create employment opportunities for 22,033 people in the State, an official release said. At the SLSWCC meeting, 43 new projects with investments of more than Rs 15 crore and less than Rs 50 crore were also cleared. These projects are worth Rs 1,187.93 crore and would generate jobs for 11,016 people in Karnataka. Four projects of additional investment have also been approved which will res

Karnataka Congress promises to scrap quotas announced by BJP when it wins

The reservations, DK Shivakumar said, are against the law, constitution and the interests of the communities

Rahul to visit K'taka on April 5 to take on BJP over disqualification row

The Congress is planning a mega programme for April 5 to retaliate on the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the very place where the contentious speech was made in Karnataka, sources confirmed

Ahead of polls, states lure farmers with interest payout for defaulters

In the last assembly polls in MP, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, the incumbent BJP lost power to Congress due to discontent among the farming class that saw consecutive years of low prices

Prohibitory orders clamped as Banjara community protests against SCs' quota

The agitators gave vent to their anger, alleging that "less" reservation was given to the 'Scheduled Caste-Touchables', to which the Banjara community belongs

Karnataka bribery case: SC seeks BJP MLA's response on Lokayukta's plea

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the response of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa on a plea of the Karnataka Lokayukta challenging grant of anticipatory bail to him by the high court in the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents (KSDL) contract scam case. A bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Sudhanshu Dhulia issued the notice to the BJP legislator. On March 14, the top court had agreed to hear the Lokayukta's plea against the Karnataka high court order in the case. The BJP MLA's son Prashanth Madal, who is the chief accounts officer of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, was arrested by the Lokayutka police on March 2 while allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 40 lakh on behalf of his father at the KSDL office. A single-judge bench of the high court had granted the anticipatory bail to the MLA after hearing his petition. Virupakashappa had resigned as chairperson of KSDL following his son's arrest. While granting the conditional bail, the high court had directed the MLA to appear .

Decide on sanction for prosecution against govt officers within 6 mths: HC

The High Court of Karnataka has quashed the cognizance taken by a Magistrate court in 24 criminal cases against a former executive officer of a Panchayat as there was no sanction obtained for prosecution from the competent authority in any of the cases. The Court also directed the authorities to decide on granting sanction for prosecution against government officers within six months of such requests being made. "In the wake of such litigation being generated on indecisiveness of respective Competent Authorities either on the ignorance of the Investigating Agency in not requesting for sanction or the indecisiveness of the respective Competent Authorities in not passing necessary orders, I deem it appropriate to observe that the concerned Competent Authority shall henceforth decide on the requisition sent by the Investigating agency, with an outer limit of six months, if not earlier, as only on account of want of sanction the proceedings are quashed even in cases where corruption is .

Centre approves nearly Rs 700 crore for NH widening project in Karnataka

The Centre has approved a sum of Rs 698.08 crore for the widening of the Belur to Hassan section of NH373, with the addition of paved shoulders, in Karnataka, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday. "This project, executed under the NH(O) Annual Plan 2022-23 (Package-II), will be carried out in the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode, " he tweeted.

Will restore scrapped 4% quota for Muslims in Karnataka, says Cong

Flaying the BJP-led Karnataka government for its decision to scrap the reservation for Muslims under Category 2B in the OBC list, the Congress declared on Sunday that it would restore the quota to the minority community in the event of the party coming to power in the State, where Assembly elections are due by May. The Cabinet meeting on Friday also decided to split this quantum (four per cent) equally between Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayats at two per each in jobs and admissions in educational institutions, which was welcomed by the two politically influential communities. The government moved Muslims into the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) pool. President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) D K Shivakumar termed the step "unconstitutional" "They (the government) think that reservation can be distributed like a property. It's not a property. It's a right (of minorities)", he told reporters here. "We don't want their four per cent to be scrapped

PM Modi's security breach during roadshow in Karnataka's Davanagere

A man tried to run towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy during his roadshow here but was caught by the security personnel on Saturday. However, police denied any security breach in this regard. The video of the man trying to approach Modi's car after apparently slipping through the security barricade has gone viral in the social media. The man, learnt to be from Koppal, has been detained and was questioned, police sources said. The Davangere Superintendent of Police C B Rishyanth ruled out any security breach. "Nothing like that (security breach) happened. He was not even near the Prime Minister. He was caught well before that," Rishyanth told PTI. ADGP Law and Order Alok Kumar tweeted : "As being reported in a section of media, there was no breach in security as such of Hon'ble PM at Davangere today. It was an unsuccessful attempt. He was caught immediately by myself and SPG at a safe distance. Appropriate action is being taken in this regard".

Congress releases first list of 124 candidates for Karnataka Assembly polls

The Congress on Saturday announced its first list of 124 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka with former chief minister Siddaramaiah being fielded from his Varuna seat. Pradesh Congress Committee chief DK Shivakumar will contest the elections from his Kanakapura assembly constituency, according to the list. The party has fielded former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara from the Koratagere (SC) constituency. Former ministers KH Muniappa and Priyank Kharge will contest from Devanahalli and Chitapur (SC), respectively. Priyank is the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The party's central election committee cleared the first list of candidates after a meeting in Delhi on March 17. The committee is chaired by Congress chief Kharge. Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting. The Congress is the first party to release its candidates' list for the elections in Karnataka. The Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule for assembly polls in the .

Karnataka scraps 4% reservation for religious minorities, adds them in EWS

The Karnataka government on Friday announced its decision to abolish the four per cent quota for religious minorities' and add it to the existing quota of two dominant communities of the poll-bound state. The four per cent reservation will now be divided into two equal parts and added to the existing quota for the Vokkaligas and Lingayats for whom two new reservation categories of 2C and 2D were created during the Belagavi Assembly Session last year. The cabinet decided to bring the religious minorities under the EWS category. The decision comes ahead of the assembly elections. Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the religious minorities quota would be done away with and brought under the 10 percent pool of the EWS group without any change of condition. The four per cent (reservation for minorities) will be divided into two between 2C and 2D. The four per cent reservation for the Vokkaligas and others will enhance to six per cent and