Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party rebel candidate B J Puttaswamy's nomination papers for the March 30 Rajya Sabha election have been rejected for violation of the office of profit clause, an election official said on Wednesday.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution on the border row with Maharashtra, resolving to protect the state's interests and not to cede an inch of land to its neighbour. The resolution which also condemned the border dispute "created" by Maharashtra and moved by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, was adopted by a voice vote.
A committee was set up after the Bharatiya Janata Party's IT cell chief announced in a tweet the schedule for the Karnataka assembly polls before the official declaration on March 27.
Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka struggles to finalise its list of candidates to fight the assembly elections in May, the party is faced with a new problem -- a sex scandal. Vicky Nanjappa reports
The 75-year-old Eshwarappa, had remained steadfast in his decision to contest, spurning efforts by party leaders to pacify him. He had even filed his nomination as an independent candidate.
Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party member of Legislative Assembly Y Sampangi became the first Karnataka legislator to be convicted in a corruption case. The Lokayukta special court sentenced the BJP MLA to three-and-a half-year rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case.
More trouble is brewing for self-styled godman Swami Nityanand with the Karnataka government ordering a probe into the land held by him at Bidadi, 40 km away from Bangalore.
Stating that matters of utmost public importance are coming up for discussion next week, the Whip issued by the Opposition's Chief Whip in the assembly Ajay Dharam Singh has asked all the members to mandatorily participate in the proceedings from December 20-24, from the beginning till conclusion.
Five candidates were in the fray for the four seats in the elections, including Janata Dal-Secular contestant D Kupendra Reddy.
Troubled times for the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka seem to have come to an end as the 11 rebel members of legislative assembly have decided to be part of the B S Yeddyurappa government. After nearly two days of negotiations with rebel MLAs in New Delhi, it was decided that the time has come to provide a stable government in Karnataka.On Sunday, the rebel legislators stated that they had no demands from the ruling BJP government.
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa speaks to Karnataka Home Minister Dr V S Acharya, former minister and opposition Janata Dal-Secular minister M C Nanaiah, and state Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde to gauge the various conflicts that are complicating the ongoing political crisis in the state, and presents a comparative report.
In continuing desertions from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in poll-bound Karnataka, three more Members of Legislative Assembly on Thursday quit the party, apparently to join other parties before the assembly elections in May.
The Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday claimed that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his family have evaded income tax to the tune of Rs 339.54 crore and demanded that the Centre institute a probe into it.
Chinchansur, a prominent leader of the Koli-Kabbaliga community in the Kalyana Karnataka region, resigned from his post of Member of the Legislative Council on Monday.
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.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is gearing up to parade his members of legislative assembly before Governor H R Bharadwaj at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.
Amid protests and anger in some quarters against observing 'Hindi Diwas', Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday his government is bringing in a legislation to make Kannada "mandatory" in the state.
Sriramulu has proved that a politician is true to his own self, his own needs, his own mentors of the moment, and that the public does not matter after the vote is cast. The voter is to be remembered only at the next round of elections, whenever it is, says Mahesh Vijapurkar.
Buoyed by the high court verdict upholding the disqualification of 11 rebel Members of Legislative Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday stepped up its attack on Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, demanding his immediate recall for 'illegal and unconstitutional acts' if he does not step down on his own."The governor of Karnataka, if he has got any respect for the Constitution and standards in public life, should quit forthwith," said Venkaiah Naidu.
Five Congress legislators on Wednesday threatened to resign if senior party leader and minister K H Muniyappa's son-in-law Chikka Peddanna was given a ticket to contest from Kolar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, bringing into open the divisions in the outfit.
Vijay, despite the loud message from his delayed arrival at the road-show/stampede venue, and more so his continued inaccessibility for fans-turned-cadres after graduating from a super-star to a political party leader with electoral ambitions, refuses to change. Or, so it seems, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
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.
L Murugan, 44, is the only newly-sworn minister who is not a member of Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday bagged 110 seats in the elections to the 224-member Karnataka assembly. The Congress won 80 seats, while the Janata Dal-Secular won 28 seats. Others won six.
While the past experience with the Janata Dal-Secular has ruled out a re-alliance as of now, it seems likely that the BJP may rely on the five independent candidates who have been elected on Sunday. The BJP top brass is already in touch with the five independent candidates to muster their support in order to form the first ever independent BJP government in south India.
Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are wondering if the party-led government in Karnataka will opt for the dissolution of the state assembly in the wake of the political turmoil unleashed by the renegade B S Yeddyurappa.
According to police, a first information report (FIR) was registered under Sections 384 (punishment for extortion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) against Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Enforcement Directorate officials, office-bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party at state and national level, based on the order of a special court.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he would move a resolution in the state assembly on Tuesday expressing solidarity with those living in the contentious boundary region with Karnataka.
After the Karnataka porngate scandal, two Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly from Gujarat have now come under the scanner for allegedly watching obscene pictures on a tablet during the assembly proceedings in Gandhingar.
Several BJP and JD-S leaders joining the Congress ahead of the May 10 assembly polls in Karnataka is an evidence to prove that public sentiment is in favour of the party and it will come to power, its state unit President D K Shivakumar said on Monday.
With six children of Karnataka ministers in the Lok Sabha poll arena, the campaign scene is getting spiced up in the high-stakes elections for the ruling Congress in the state.
The BJP and Congress have already launched spirited campaigns for the elections.
Party members of the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular staged a dharna in the Karnataka legislative assembly on Tuesday, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged 'kickbacks' received by a trust run by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's sons, in return for Government favours. Congress leader Siddaramaiah also demanded Yeddyurappa's resignation.
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.
A new single bench of the Karnataka high court on Wednesday adjourned the disqualification of 11 rebel Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly who had challenged their disqualification from the state assembly. The case had come up before Justice V G Sabhahith after the court delivered a split verdict two days ago on the petitions. Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice N Kumar had differed on the provisions the Constitution
The man who was instrumental in installing the first Bharatiya Janata Party government in South India will quit the party after a mammoth rally in Bangalore on Friday. Former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will address his supporters at the Freedom Park in Bangalore at 10.30 am on Friday and then will lead a march to the Vidhan Soudha, following which he will resign as the member of the Karnataka legislative assembly.
Since the time the elections were held in 2004, the people have just been helpless spectators to the political fiasco in the state. The JD-S initially formed the government with the Congress, and then dumped it to team up with the Bharatiya Janata Party after a power sharing pact. But when it was time to hand over power to the BJP, the JD-S backtracked. After negotiations, the two parties agreed to form the government but the JD-S again withdrew support at the last minute
The legislators had earlier been lodged in a resort on the outskirts of Chennai.
'Operation Lotus' proved to be a success in Karnataka with the Bharatiya Janata Party converting its minority government into a majority by winning 5 out of the 8 seats in the by-polls. The BJP's tally of 110 following the elections in May 2008 has now gone up to 115, which means it now has absolute majority in the Karnataka legislative assembly.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretary M K Vishalakshi, who is the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha polls, declared the 'unanimous election' of Gowda and Kharge from the Janta Dal-Secular and the Congress respectively, and BJP's Iranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti, with no extra candidate in the fray.
