The electoral predictions made by the various exit polls about the outcome of the Karnataka election seem to have hit bull's eye. The Congress has, expectedly, taken a major lead within the first couple of hours of counting of votes. But the trend that has surprised pundits and politicians alike is the revival of the Janata Dal - Secular, which has relegated the Bharatiya Janata Party to the third position.
Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said the party's second list of candidates for the May 10 Karnataka assembly polls, including for the contentious Hassan seat, will be finalised on April 7.
Just two days before the temple face-off at Dharmasthala with Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday decided to back out from the 'truth test', heeding the advice of his party and religious leaders.
A senior TMC leader will be present at the proposed meeting, he said.
Siddaramaiah even said that he would retire from politics if even one instance is presented with proof that he had made money by transferring officials.
Police have made tight security arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony. Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh and the party's senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu will be present
A week after snapping his four decade old association with BJP, former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday dubbed it 'a bigger evil' than Congress and Janata Dal-Secular and vowed never to return to his former party.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and state Janata Dal-Secular President H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday dismissed the need for a House inquiry panel to probe the porngate scandal involving three former Bharatiya Janata Party ministers.
Besides the four Left parties, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Telugu Desam Party, Samajwadi Party, Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal-Secular and Indian National Lok Dal "have decided to call for a country-wide hartal on July five", a joint statement by top leaders of CPI-M, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc said in New Delhi.
Amid the suspense over the fate of the B S Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka following the revolt by a section of the Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly, both the ruling party and opposition Janata Dal - Secular on Saturday continued their political machinations to maintain control over the rebels, who are currently holed up in a Goa hotel. Tourism Minister and mining magnate G Janardhana Reddy.
Senior politician Basavaraj Horatti, who recently resigned as the chairman of Karnataka legislative council and MLC, on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Sunday found support from rivals Communist party of India - Marxist, Janata Dal - Secular and Lok Janshakti Party for his suggestion for the re-introduction of ballot papers in place of Electronic Voting Machines.Advani has not cast any doubts on the results of the Lok Sabha elections but feels the country should revert to ballot papers, starting with the Maharashtra assembly elections in October and some more states later.
Former Karnataka chief minister and Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday began an indefinite fast in Bengaluru pressing for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's charge that his family members amassed illegal wealth to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore.
The Lok Sabha member from Dakshina Kannada met family members of Krishnappa, a BJP worker who was allegedly hacked to death, while his wife and son were grievously injured in the attack after they protested against bursting of crackers outside their house in Bengaluru Rural district's Hoskote on Sunday.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Members of Parliament rushed to New Delhi on Thursday to meet Election Commission officials and seek permission and exemption to cast their votes in Chennai for the forthcoming Presidential poll. Taking a cue from
Taking the fight to the Janata Dal-Secular camp, a combative Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released what it called the "charge-sheet" against the opposition party, alleging that the estimated worth of the known assets of the family of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda alone was over Rs 1,500 crore.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has approved the proposal for the candidature of Yadav and Jabbar, the All India Congress Committee said in a release.
Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on Friday for 88 seats in 13 states with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a second-straight term from Wayanad in Kerala.
According to the latest head count by Congress's managers, the United Progressive Alliance has only 271 seats in the Lok Sabha, though the requisite majority in the 545-member House is 273. For the ruling party, the issue is not about saving the government, but about crossing the majority mark to send the decisive signal that the UPA enjoys a clear majority and has the moral right to continue in power, say sources.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday said he wanted to bring in a "change" in his style of functioning in politics as he was a "victim of conspiracy hatched by the Congress, the Janata Dal - Secular and detractors within the Bharatiya Janata Party". "I am a victim of conspiracy scripted by Congress, JD-S and detractors with my party. To avoid getting victimised in the future, I have to be changed, I need to be changed and I will be changed," he said.
The Janata Dal-Secular leader also said that he may move the confidence of motion on May 24.
Seeking clarification, Karnataka Governor has sent back to the government a bill that sought to collect funds from temples with over Rs 10 lakh annual income, citing that a case concerning the earlier related act and amendments made to it is still pending in Supreme Court.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly Committee probing the porngate episode involving three former BJP ministers on Wednesday began its three-day sitting, amid continued boycott by Congress and Janata Dal Secular members, saying it would try to submit its report by the March 13 deadline set by the speaker.
The legislators were camping in Mumbai since Saturday evening after resigning and withdrawing support to the 13-month-old Janata Dal-Secular-Congress government in Karnataka, bringing it on the verge of collapse.
Gowda's remarks targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party leader came over the controversial Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Project, promoted by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise during a farmers stir against NICE at Hemmigepura village near Bengaluru, in which he is taking part, "to demand justice" for them.
Armed with the Wikileaks expose about 2008 trust vote, the Opposition ON Thursday closed ranks in demanding the immediate resignation of the government, contending that it has lost moral right to continue as the country's democracy has been "maligned".
Addressing election rallies in the district headquarters towns of Shivamogga and Raichur, Gandhi alleged that the prime minister was in the know about the sex scandal and he could have got Prajwal arrested within seconds but allowed him to flee the country.
D V Sadananda Gowda who replaced B S Yeddyurappa as the chief Minister of Karnataka won the elections to the Karnataka legislative assembly on Thursday.
The JD-S supremo reiterated that his grandson should be given the harshest punishment under the law "if found guilty".
Parliament failed to function for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday with the Opposition insisting on a joint parliamentary committee probe into 2G spectrum allocation and Congress and Janata Dal Secular hitting back, alleging land scams involving the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Karnataka. Rajya Sabha adjourned almost immediately after it met for the day with Opposition members creating an uproar, while Lok Sabha was first adjourned till noon.
M P Veerendrakumar, former state president of the Janata Dal - Secular, who quit the party following differences of opinion with the Communist party of India - Marxist over the allocation of Lok Sabha seats, has lashed out at his former ally.Veerendrakumar, who is also the managing director of leading daily Mathrubhumi, stated that the CPI-M leadership has become pro-capitalism and alleged that the party was trying to promote five-star hotels.
The Janata Dal-Secular on Thursday petitioned Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, seeking his intervention recommending a CBI probe into the sexual abuse charges against Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna.
Kumaraswamy has with him, 46 of the 58 MLAs and has broken away from the faction that remains loyal to his father, H D Deve Gowda.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said, he is not giving priority to such things and was concentrating on strengthening the party.
In a major embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party's Karnataka unit, Pranab Mukherjee, United Progressive Alliance's candidate who was on Sunday elected President of India, got more votes than expected in the BJP-ruled state.
Vicky Nanjappa gives a lowdown on the Karnataka assembly election
Rebel Janata Dal-Secular leader M P Prakash on Monday held consultations with party legislators supporting him to chalk out the strategy of the group, which is opposing the renewed ties with Bharatiya Janata Party on government formation in Karnataka.
Party chief H D Kumaraswamy told media persons, "If my party does not get majority, we will not form an alliance with anyone. I would rather sit in opposition than being a part of a coalition government."
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has equated the manifesto of his party, the Janata Dal-Secular, for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election to a Bhagwad Gita, Quran and the Bible.
Former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular supremo Deve Gowda on Monday announced the formation of the Third Front, an amalgamation of eight parties including the Left, and touted as a political alternative to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.