In the first sign of dissidence in Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party a day after change of guard, 12 disgruntled legislators who failed to get ministerial berths met under the leadership of former minister and mining magnate Karunakara Reddy in Bengaluru.
It appears to be difficult to predict who would be the clear winner in the May 5 Karnataka assembly elections, but according to leading psephologist Sandeep Shastri, the Congress looks to be on top of the table for now.
The alleged misappropriation of flood relief funds, which has hit the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka, has also torched the Opposition Congress party in the state.
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, who is gunning for the removal of Reddy brothers from the state ministry on the issue of illegal mining, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram and is understood to have discussed the issue.
At present in Karnataka, if one takes a close look at the manner in which the tickets are being distributed it is clear that caste is being considered while handing out tickets. The Lingayats and the Vokkaligas have been dominant in Karnataka since time immemorial and the tussle for power between these two communities is no secret.
Home Minister P Chidamabaram has criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for its attack on Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj granting sanction to prosecute the chief minister and said the governor's decision was in accordance with the law.
The political situation in Karnataka is expected to be action-packed on Friday, with the state Congress deciding to lead a delegation to the prime minister at New Delhi, urging him to act on the report recommending President's rule in Karnataka.
Vicky Nanjappa reports on how Narendra Modi has not just managed to draw the crowd in Karnataka but improved the BJP's chances in the state
This motion is in keeping with a directive by Governor T N Chaturvedi to him on January 28, to prove his majority within eight days of assuming office.
It appears today that Karnataka legislators have spent more time in resorts than at the Karnataka legislative assembly or even their respective constituencies
Many in the party feel it has played a critical role in boosting the Congress' electoral fortunes in the state and its impact is there for everyone to see.
Will any party in Karnataka get an absolute majority in the May 5 elections? What combinations and options do political parties have? Vicky Nanjappa answers a few vital questions
The party president said the manifesto was the 'voice of the people of Karnataka'.
There are protests galore in Karnataka over the Cauvery water release issue and there appears to be no solution in sight with farmers only intensifying their protest with each passing day.
The Indian government has advised states to intensify surveillance for respiratory illnesses, including influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illnesses (SARI), following the detection of five human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases in the country. The decision comes amidst reports of a surge in HMPV cases in China. The Union Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, chaired a virtual meeting with states and union territories to discuss the situation and public health measures. While there is no cause for public concern, the government is emphasizing the importance of preventive measures such as handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding close contact with those showing symptoms.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka on Tuesday lashed out at Maharashtra leaders' demand to declare Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka as Union Territory till the Supreme Court decides on the issue, saying it would 'back-fire' on that state. "There are a large number of Kannada-speaking people in Sholapur and Kolhapur and at different places (in Maharashtra). If they are also converted as Union Territories, the issue will not stop anywhere," a minister said.
He said the cabinet expansion exercise may not take a week's time and a direction from the leadership was likely by Monday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership in Delhi has invited the feuding factions in Karnataka for a meeting on Sunday. BJP president Nitin Gadkari will hold talks with Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda and former CM B S Yeddyurappa's emissary Shobha Karandlaje.
Karnataka unit Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday hailed the party's victory in Gujarat assembly elections for a third successive term, describing the mandate as a "vote for development".
The 61 year-old leader was the Minister for Home Affairs, Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislature in Yediyurappa's council of ministers that was dissolved on Monday and was also the Minister in-charge of Haveri and Udupi Districts.
Three of the fence-sitters rule fairly large states Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha that together send 63 members to Lok Sabha -- where the Congress or other opposition parties have been pushed to the margins.
The Karnataka state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to be more assertive in their approach to put to an end the free run of their coalition partner the Janata Dal-Secular.
Dissident Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, campaigning for Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's ouster, on Saturday discussed the latest developments in the crisis in the party with Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar, who has emerged a rallying point for the rebels, in Bengaluru.
The Centre is understood to have decided to invoke Article 355 of the Constitution to warn Orissa and Karnataka to rein in violence, following attacks on churches and prayer halls in the two states.According to official sources on Thursday night, a formal communication in this regard will be sent on Friday to the governments of the two states ruled by the Opposition. A Biju Janata Dal - Bharatiya Janata Party coalition is ruling Orissa while the BJP is in power in Karnataka.
Ahead of cabinet reshuffle and expansion of the 32-month-old Bharatiya Janata Party ministry on Wednesday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa sacked three ministers, including Gulihatti D Shekar, who had threatened to commit suicide if axed.
As Karnataka draws closer to elections, the three major political parties are finalizing the strategy to be adopted in the forthcoming elections.
Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has indicated that he will hold the finance portfolio.
With Bharatiya Janata Party facing 'dynasty politics' criticism, following the appointment of veteran leader B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Vijayendra as its Karnataka unit president, party's senior leader C T Ravi on Saturday tried to dodge related questions, and in a cryptic remark said he too is being haunted by certain 'questions'.
After the party high command ask him to resign immediately on Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is fast running out of options, and at the moment, is holed up in his residence in Bengaluru, where he is mustering the support of his members of legislative assembly. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Karnataka has been quiet for a while since political tempers have temporarily stopped flying around. However, what everyone is waiting for with a bated breath is the release of the second report on illegal mining, which many have termed as a block buster.
All guns blazing, Modi on Saturday mounted a scathing attack on the Congress over corruption, and asserted it will become "Punjab, Puducherry, Parivar" Congress after its defeat in the Karnataka assembly polls.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Tuesday said he has been asked by the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership not to contest the May 10 assembly elections, to which he has informed the party top brass of his displeasure with the decision.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh said the government formation in Karnataka should be on the basis of the agreement entered into between his party and the JD (S) 19 months ago.
Attacking Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in the wake of the Lokayukta indicting him on the illegal mining issue, Left parties on Thursday demanded his resignation, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party leader has no moral authority to continue in his office.
The Congress in its poll manifesto had promised to undo the changes made to school textbooks when the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power, and had also promised to scrap National Education Policy.
'They want to keep the pot boiling all the time.' 'The BJP wants to set a political narrative that the Gandhis are doing wrong things.'
After losing both the seats in the by-polls of the Karnataka legislative assembly, state Pradesh Congress Committee's working president D K Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddaramiah resigned from their posts on Thursday. The two leaders resigned after accepting the moral responsibility for the party's defeat in Kadur and Gulbarga. The Bharatiya Janata Party won the Kadur seat while the Janata Dal Secular won the Gulbarga seat.
Member of Parliament Rajeev Chandrasekhar, while discussing the elections says in this interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa that the BJP will look back at their term as a squandered opportunity because of personal ambitions and dissidence.
Condemning the attack on students at a home-stay in Mangalore allegedly by members of the Hindu Jagran Vedike, the Congress on Monday said intolerance and violence has been on the rise in Karnataka ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2008.
If there is one party which is exuberant, it is the Bharatiya Janata Party which feels the swing is in its favour. Apart from capitalising on the sympathy wave it has in the state, the Gujarat victory will be a big fillip for the party.
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