Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa on Saturday courted controversy when he asked a woman journalist what can the opposition members do if "someone drags and rapes" her.
While addressing a Veerashaiva-Lingayat meeting in Shivamogga, Eshwarappa said, "We do not want even a single Muslim vote here. Nationalist Muslims will, however, vote for the BJP."
Eshwarappa, who recently announced his retirement from electoral politics, also shared a video of him talking to Modi in a phone call.
Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K S Eshwarappa, against whom police have booked a case for allegedly abetting the suicide of contractor Santosh Patil, on Friday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
'There is huge anger among our workers and leaders, so many of us have decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka as Independents to fight against this injustice.'
Leading the campaign in Bengaluru, MLA and former minister V Sunil Kumar staged a sit-in demonstration near the Sadashivanagar police station, amid chants of "Jai Sri Ram" by BJP workers.
Eshwarappa had initially refused to resign as a minister, but was instructed to do so by Bharatiya Janata Party bosses in New Delhi before BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda arrived in Bengaluru for consultations with state party leaders on Friday.
Fakira Dingaleshwar Swami of Shirahatti Fakkireshwar Math, a prominent Veerashaiva Lingayat seer, on Monday said he has decided to contest as an independent candidate from Dharwad segment in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
A number of high-profile electoral battles, starring veterans and debutants, formidable opponents and unlikely contestants, feature in Tuesday's outcome.
A contractor who had accused the Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K S Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent commission for a contract, was found dead in a lodge in the coastal town of Udupi on Tuesday morning.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed criminal proceedings against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others in connection with a protest march held in the state in 2022.
Amid mounting opposition pressure for his resignation over the death of a civil contractor, senior Karnataka Minister K S Eshwarappa on Wednesday ruled out stepping down from his post, as he wondered if a Whatsapp message can be treated as a 'death note'.
The list does not include Jagadish Shettar who met BJP president J P Nadda earlier in the day to stake his claim to contest from his Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency.
Eshwarappa would turn 75 in June, the unofficial age bar in the BJP for leaders to contest polls and hold official positions.
The Congress legislators have been camping in the Vidhana Soudha inside the Assembly Hall and have been sleeping there in the night.
Sulking Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party legislator K S Eshwarappa on Tuesday claimed Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has assured to make him a minister soon.
Yeddyurappa will leave no stone unturned to ensure defeat for his rival Karnataka BJP chief K S Eshwarappa, who is contesting from Shimoga constituency. However, Eshwarappa won't take things lying down. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
The Karnataka Lokayukta seized 19 kilograms of gold, silver and cash from K S Eshwarappa's house, reports Vicky Nanjappa
Behind its high-decibel campaign, powered by well-organised party machinery, the BJP also appears to have made a slight departure from its 'next generation' approach to stay ahead of an aggressive Congress and enhance its prospects of securing a majority of seats.
For the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, the following are the 20 seats to watch out for.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released its first list of 189 candidates for the May 10 Karnataka assembly polls, fielding Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from his traditional Shiggaon constituency.
A case has been registered against Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa for abetment of suicide in connection with the death of a civil contractor, the police said on Wednesday.
Here's how the prominent leaders in the fray in Karataka elections have performed.
He said the truth will come out from the investigation and asked the opposition Congress, which is demanding Eshwarappa's arrest, not to become investigators, prosecutors and judges themselves.
"One thing I want to make it clear that this case will be thoroughly investigated. There will not be any interference or direction from our side. Police will independently investigate the case and truth will come out," Bommai said addressing a press conference in Mangaluru.
The Karnataka legislative assembly on Tuesday passed bills enhancing the salaries and allowances of the chief minister, ministers and legislators.
Congress legislators spent the whole night inside the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Council, escalating demand for the dismissal of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa over his statement regarding the national flag.
In a huge embarrassment to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, Lokayukta sleuths on Monday conducted searches at the residences of Deputy Chief Minister and state unit chief K S Eshwarappa in Bengaluru and in Shimoga in connection with a FIR filed against him in a disproportionate assets case.
Days after making an alleged "hate speech" against a minority community, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa was slapped with a criminal case on Friday after electoral officials issued directions for it.
As the Congress juggernaut rolled on in Karnataka, 12 ministers of the Jagadish Shettar cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, fell by the wayside, rubbing salt into the wounds of the vanquished Bharatiya Janata Party.
Even as voting began on a dull note in Karnataka, leaders from across parties expressed confidence about their performance in the ongoing elections.
The number of nominations filed by candidates for the May 5 Assembly elections in Karnataka crossed 2,000 on Tuesday.
The Lokayukta Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa and two of his family members in a disproportionate assets case.
Indicating the imminent replacement of D V Sadananda Gowda as Karnataka chief minister, State Bharatiya Janata Party president K S Eshwarappa on Friday said he believed that the party has solved the leadership issue and would abide by their decision.
Municipal Administration Minister Bhalachandra Jarkiholi on Wednesday threatened to pull down the Bharatiya Janata Party government if Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda was replaced.
Stirring up controversy, a Lingayat seer on Monday alleged that mutts (monasteries) are equally affected due to rampant corruption prevailing in Karnataka as they too pay a commission of 30 per cent to get the sanctioned grants released for them.
Bharatiya Janata Party's national leaders would meet senior party leaders of Karnataka on October 30 in New Delhi to work out a strategy to placate disgruntled party strongman B S and ensure that he does not quit the party, BJP state president K S Eshwarappa said on Saturday.
Karnataka Minister K S Eshwarappa, who is facing charges of abetment to suicide in connection with the death of a civil contractor in Udupi, on Thursday announced stepping down from his position.
The Karnataka Lokayukta which conducted a raid at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, has found Rs 10,70,000. This was informed to the media by Additional Director General of police Lokayukta S N Rao.
Another round of infighting within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka has commenced. Nine ministers loyal to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa quit the state cabinet on Friday evening, which has mounted pressure on CM Sadananda Gowda.
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