Creating a positive reform that does away with an official who constitutes a flawed aspect of Indian democracy will allow the BJP to rightfully claim this as one of its positive legacies, suggests Karan P Shah.
Eighteen ministers inducted were of cabinet rank, nine each from the Congress and JD(S). Two JD (S) members joined as ministers of state.\n
Former leader of the Janata Dal-Secular M P Prakash will officially be a Congressman on February 27. He will be formally inducted into the party at a Youth Congress rally to be held in Bangalore, which will be presided over by Rahul Gandhi.
Voting came to an end for the Karnataka assembly elections on Wednesday at 6 pm with data showing a voter turnout of 65.69 per cent an hour ago.
Gowda said the campaign will be held in three phases and he will be participate in all three. He also said that a national executive committee meeting of the party will be held in February to take stock of the developments.
The former chief minister says he will start campaigning for his party in another 15 days, although the doctors have advised a month's rest.
The faction led by Prakash, which had cut off ties with the JD-S after citing differences with party chief H D Deve Gowda and his sons, will hold a meeting on Thursday to decide on the next course of action.
PGR Scindia, a veteran who had spent over 10 years in the JD-S follows senior leader MP Prakash and quits the party.
H D Deve Gowda and his sons did everything in the book to prevent Prakash from leaving the party. However, their attempts were unsuccessful and Prakash stuck to his guns.
In his plea, Gowda seeks an order restraining the producer of the film from making derogatory remarks against him and his family.
"The split will have no impact on the party. Alternative arrangements are being made to head the party in places where some of our party leaders resigned", he said.
It was a decision waiting to be taken officially. Senior Janata Dal-Secular leader M P Prakash on Wednesday quit the party.
While all political parties in Karnataka have entered into poll mode, the Janata Dal-Secular, a key player is yet to sort out plenty of problems with the rebels in the party getting more rebellious.
He rubbished claims that Kumaraswamy was set to leave the JD-S and said that the JD-S would soon begin its election campaign.
The petition was filed by a few independent legislators in which they sought the disqualification of the JDS legislators after they entered into an alliance with the BJP 21 months back and formed the government without the approval of the party high command.
A day after the Congress ruled out forming a coalition government with it in Karnataka, the Janata Dal-Secular on Thursday said that it will go to the people to seek a fresh mandate. "The BJP has already announced that it will face elections. The Congress has pulled the curtain down on government formation. We are the only third party left in the state. We should keep these developments in mind and go ahead to strengthen and prepare the party for elections," Gowda said.
Crisis gripped an embattled Janata Dal-Secular in Karnataka on Wednesday in the wake of a section of its partymen opening parleys with Congress to revive coalition ties for forming a government to avoid a snap poll and the top brass expressing dissent over the move.
With there being no sign of any reconciliation between any of the political parties in Karnataka, the wait and watch game has begun all over again.
He said the cabinet expansion exercise may not take a week's time and a direction from the leadership was likely by Monday.
Party stalwarts like Dharam Singh and Mallikarjun Kharge, however, seem to have no problem with the Congress teaming up with the JD-S, as they feel that their main efforts should be directed towards preventing the BJP from coming to power.
As of now, it seems highly unlikely that Kumaraswamy will pass the floor test as the BJP has decided to pull out. However, things may be different if the Congress steps in by then and supports the JDS from outside.
The Janata Dal Secular convention to discuss the ongoing power tussle in Karnataka started in Bangalore on Thursday. The main speakers are former PM and JD-S supremo H D Deve Gowda, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Home minister Prakash.
The process of ministry expansion in Karnataka has run into rough weather following differences between the two coalition partners, the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular, over the allocation of plum portfolios
Revanna has decided to stand by Gowda in the hour of crisis.
Dharam Singh expressed confidence that he will prove his majority on January 27, as asked by the Governor.
Asked about the letter submitted by Kumaraswamy about withdrawal of support to the government, Singh said JD-S chief H D Deve Gowda had submitted a letter requesting the governor not to take cognisance of Kumaraswamy's letter.
With only 65 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, do you think the Congress has suffered a big blow from Kumaraswamy's move?
In Telangana, for more than two months, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao ran his government with just one cabinet colleague Mohammed Mahmood as Home Minister.
Karnataka Legislative Council Deputy Chairman S L Dharme Gowda was found dead on a rail track in Chikkamagaluru district in the early hours of Tuesday, with police sources claiming he died by suicide.
Security was beefed up on Monday a day after a row broke out over the removal of a saffron Hanuman flag from Keragodu village in Mandya, with protests demanding its restoration and the incident sparking a political confrontation between the Congress government and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular).
Karnataka CM Dharam Singh confirmed on Friday that he had received a letter from the Janata Dal (Secular), asking for the removal of rebel leader and Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and two ministers.
Cricket climate change to medical practice, dropped candidates have their non-political life sorted.
Apart from the 18 members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the Bharatiya Janata Party, seven non-National Democratic Alliance parties will attend the ceremony, going by their stated position on the issue which has snowballed into another political flashpoint between the ruling and opposition camps.
Sixty-eight-year old Dharam Singh would be the chief minister.
The move was also seen as placating the Lingayat community, which is considered to be the core vote base of the party with some exceptions in the previous Assembly polls, and also to keep party strong man and octogenarian leader B S Yediyurappa in good humour.
The Kollegal MLA said he will not attend the floor test on the direction of party supremo Mayawati.