A source in the CEC's office claimed that the money power of the Congress and BJP candidates in states like Punjab, Gujarat and Maharashtra pales in comparison to candidates from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
In the public eye, it seemed as though leaders were talking to each other in person or through the media. In reality, leaders refused to even see eye-to-eye and utilized the services of a mediator to do all the talking. What happened behind the scenes? How did the allies mend the fences? Rediff.com spoke to the official mediators of the JDS and the BJP to find out.
Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has been chosen to lead the Bharatiya Janata Party in the forthcoming Karnataka elections. Member of Parliament and senior BJP leader Prahlad Joshi informed reporters in Bangalore that Shettar would the leader of the party.
Renewing his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka, Governor H R Bhardwaj on Friday charged it with having 'failed' to check illegal mining and demanded that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa reply to his recent letters on illegal mining and alleged land scams. "Illegal mining is still continuing. No action is taken by the government here," said Bhardwaj, who wrote to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa two days ago seeking a report on the issue.
The BJP formally withdrew support from the Karnataka government on Sunday, thus reducing the Janata Dal-Secular government, led by Kumaraswamy, to a minority. The BJP met Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur at Raj Bhavan on Sunday to inform him about its decision to withdraw support. The BJP leaders also urged the governor to impose President's rule. Kumaraswamy said that he is ready to face the trust vote on October 18 and added that he is confident of winning.
Vicky Nanjappa gives a lowdown on the Karnataka assembly election
For the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, the assembly elections are nothing short of an acid test.
Party sources said United Progressive Allinace chairperson Sonia Gandhi is likely to reach Delhi on Wednesday from Himachal Pradesh and is expected to meet some leaders who are part of the decision-making process in Karnataka.
With this, the Cabinet will reach its full strength of 34.
Weighed down by anti-incumbency, the BJP heavily banked on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal appeal to enable it to sail through in the assembly elections but it was not to be.
Minister for Small Scale Industries Roshan Baig has resigned.
Some BJP leaders believe the issue is not about Yeddyurappa's moves to contain the mining interests of the Reddy brothers in Bellary. The Rajnath Singh camp, which is pitted in a bitter battle with the Advani camp, has been accusing former Union minister Ananth Kumar, who is close to Advani, of triggering the crisis.
A crucial meeting of the Janata Dal-Secular legislature party is scheduled to commence at 0900 hours where a final call will be taken whether to support the BJP or not. JDS supreme H D Deve Gowda has been authorised by his party to take the final decision.
He said the cabinet expansion exercise may not take a week's time and a direction from the leadership was likely by Monday.
In an apparent move to quell dissidence in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday expanded his ministry by inducting rebel legislator M P Renukacharya into his cabinet.
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.
Shivakumar was scheduled to leave for Delhi on Monday but cancelled the travel plans citing ill-health.
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.
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.
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.
Several ministers of the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government, and the assembly speaker, lost the elections, the results of which were declared on Saturday.
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.
While there are some new faces in the cabinet, leaders such as BJP president JP Nadda and Jual Oram have returned as ministers.
The party president said the manifesto was the 'voice of the people of Karnataka'.
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.
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
The 77-year-old former Congress president is set to enter the Upper House for the first time from Rajasthan.
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.
It appears today that Karnataka legislators have spent more time in resorts than at the Karnataka legislative assembly or even their respective constituencies
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
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.
The exit polls on Saturday predicted the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance winning most of the seats in Congress-ruled Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections and the Congress not putting up a good show.
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 move by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son Rahul Kharge comes close on the heels of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi returning the 14 sites to Mysuru Urban Development Authority after the Lokayukta police registered a case against Siddaramaiah, his wife and brother-in-law.
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.
As Karnataka gears up for D-Day, with most exit poll projections predicting a hung assembly while putting the Congress in the lead, the outcome will boil down to how the battle for some key constituencies play out.
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.
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".
Lingayats are said to constitute about 17 per cent of Karnataka's population, and the community has dominance in as many as 100 out of total 224 constituencies, majority of these seats being in north Karnataka region.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances