The Rajya Sabha election scene in Karnataka heated up with the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) combine fielding its second candidate, even though the alliance has the strength to win only one out four seats.
Despite the towering image of BRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, along with the party's extensive grassroots network and welfare programmes, the perceived inaccessibility of its leaders contributed to the growing anti-incumbency sentiments.
Apparently aimed at keeping the flock together ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, all ruling Congress MLAs in Karnataka will stay put together at a hotel in Bengaluru on Monday after the budget session of the state legislature concludes and will later also travel together for voting the next day.
The two federal agencies came in for some sharp criticism over the "fairness" of their investigation, with the apex court observing "Sorry to see this state of affairs".
A court in New Delhi on Tuesday sent Bharat Rashtra Samiti leader K Kavitha to judicial custody till April 9 on a plea made by the Enforcement Directorate that the 'highly influential' arrestee, if released, was likely to influence witnesses and tamper with evidence.
Overall this is the eighth charge sheet filed by the ED in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far. Last week, a similar complaint was filed by the agency against BRS leader and former Telangana chief minister Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K Kavitha and four others.
The high court, which perused the material collected by the investigating agencies, said Kavitha was prima facie involved in the payment of kickbacks in various processes and activities relating to proceeds of crime and in the commission of the offence of money laundering.
The agency made the disclosure in a chargesheet filed by it on May 10 against former Telangana chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Chandrashekar Rao's MLC daughter K Kavitha and four others.
The setback could derail Rao's ambitions to expand the BRS's influence beyond Telangana and establish a national presence.
After the BRS lost the assembly elections recently, a number of its leaders quit the party to join the BJP or the Congress, which is in power in the state now.
After being trounced in the recent state assembly polls, there is a growing demand from the Bharat Rashtra Samiti leaders and cadre to the high command to change its name to Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).
A Delhi court on Friday sent Bharat Rasthra Samithi leader K Kavitha to Central Bureau of Investigation custody till April 15 in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
Kavitha, 46, a Telangana Legislative Council member, was arrested by the central probe agency from her residence at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad Friday evening.
The ED's counsel also contended that Kavitha was a co-conspirator and a beneficiary of the excise "scam" and the proceeds of crime were directly going to her.
As results were declared for assembly elections in four states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana -- here are how some of the prominent candidates fared.
Fatehi was questioned at the Mandir Marg office of the EOW for hours on Friday.
With the Congress in power in the state and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) snapping at its heels, the BRS is now fighting an existential battle.
The CBI on Thursday arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in connection with a corruption case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, officials said.
A Delhi court on Monday granted interim bail to actor Jacqueline Fernandez in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar.
According to the confession statement of Radha Kishan Rao, 'Peddayana' was very angry for not completing the work as per his expectation.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi supremo K Chandrashekar Rao must be thanking the Congress and his stars profusely, after sitting Member of Parliament Vijayashanti was suddenly moved out of the Medak parliamentary constituency and asked to contest the assembly seat instead. This makes KCR the main contender for this parliamentary seat. Vicky Nanjappa explains what it could mean for the TRS chief.
The BRS, the AAP said that they are boycotting the address to protest against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
The federal agency had arrested 46-year-old Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, from her Banjara hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15.
Reddy, who was an accused in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged liquor scam in Delhi, had turned an approver in the case that is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The CBI is yet to file a chargesheet against him.
As Telangana voters queued up to exercise their franchise in the assembly polls on Thursday, they were pleasantly surprised by finding some of the well-known actors and politicians around them.
As the triangular political contest in Telangana intensifies, many believe that for the regional major BRS, it is a battle for survival after being routed in the assembly polls held late last year. What is haunting the party this time is the scams, the 10-year anti-incumbency factor, and family dominance in the party.
Experts foresee possible scenarios: A BRS government with less majority, a BRS government with BJP and AIMIM support, or a Congress government.
Raising social security pension amounts, increasing financial assistance given under the 'Rythu Bandhu' investment support scheme for farmers and providing LPG cylinders at Rs 400 each are some of the promises made by the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti for the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana.
The bench said it is not going into the merit of the case at the moment.
Bharat Rashtra Samiti leader K Kavitha is expected to be produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court by the Enforcement Directorate in New Delhi on Saturday for obtaining her remand for custodial interrogation in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22, officials said.
Liquid and powder raw materials worth Rs 2.73 lakh, chemicals worth Rs 2.59 lakh, besides vehicles, two country-made pistols, four magazines, and 14 cartridges were seized from seven accused, he said.
24x7 power supply to farmers emerges as a political lightning rod in the state.
Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, being probed in a Rs 200 crore extortion case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, on Wednesday withdrew her application filed before a Delhi court for suspending a lookout circular (LOC) issued against her and permit her to travel abroad.
Former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday successfully underwent operation of left Total Hip Replacement at a private super-specialty hospital here following a fracture due to a fall at his residence.
Statements of five 'Angadiya' firm operators have also been recorded by the ED to establish the "money trail" of this alleged Rs 45 crore bribe amount.
Rao said his party Bharat Rashtra Samithi has always maintained that parties should unite based on people-centric issue.
The police said ever since Chandrasherkar has been jailed, the prison had become a hub of illegal activities which he carried out with the help of jail officials.
In a message posted on 'X' on Wednesday, Rama Rao said the BRS has never allied with anyone during polls ever since Telangana was formed despite several requests and in fact it is the opposition that have come together setting aside their ideological differences to defeat the 'formidable' KCR.
Kavitha Kalvakuntla, 44, a Bharat Rashtra Samiti MLC, declared this in a late-night post on her official Twitter handle.
Kavitha said 'these tactics of intimidation' against the fight of her father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the BRS would not deter them.
