'The Muslims in Karnataka are safe and secure. The state government belongs to everybody.'
The average asset of the 92 re-elected members of Legislative Assembly in Karnataka is estimated at Rs 30.15 crore, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms and Karnataka Election Watch analysis.
Sources say that 8-10 Members of the Legislative Assembly from the party are set to quit, thus reducing the BS Yeddyurappa-led government to a minority.
The Congress has been hit by rebellion and a three way split in Karnataka.
Asserting that his government still enjoyed a majority even after 13 Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly announced their resignations, Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Sunday said he was ready to face a No-Confidence Motion moved by the opposition. "I have majority. There is no threat to the government. I am ready to face a No-Confidence Motion if the opposition moves it," he told reporters.
Upset over the "delay" in the expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet, a section of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party legislators on Wednesday threatened to take the issue to the party's central leadership if the exercise was not completed by Saturday. Members of Legislative Assembly C T Ravi and M P Appachu Ranjan held a press conference, expressing their anger over the "delay".
The Karnataka legislative assembly on Monday passed a unanimous resolution condemning the recent defacing of Shivaji Maharaj and Sangolli Rayanna's statues and burning of Kannada flag, and said such incidents will be considered as an act of sedition and strict action will be taken against those involved under 'Goonda Act.'
BJP MLC C T Ravi was arrested in Karnataka, India, for allegedly using derogatory language against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar. He was released on bail by the High Court of Karnataka, which observed that police failed to follow proper procedures during his arrest. The incident has sparked a political showdown between the BJP and the ruling Congress in the state.
B S Yeddyurappa is on his way out, sources told rediff.com on Sunday, adding that the top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to remove the Karnataka chief minister from his post. The BJP high command, after much deliberation, has decided to drop Yeddyurappa as chief minister after serious accusations of an alleged land scam were made against him by the Opposition.
"The education minister will give reply to the issue raised by Khader, but I want to assure that the government is committed to implement the court order," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said on behalf of the government.
With this, the Cabinet will reach its full strength of 34.
A day before counting of votes polled in the Karnataka assembly elections, both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress on Friday went into a huddle and held strategy sessions on ways to keep their flock together.
H D Deve Gowda may have created an impact of sorts when he made the speech in Parliament, which was debating whether to dissolve the Karnataka Legislative Assembly or not.
B Y Vijayendra said power and position itself are not the ultimate objectives in politics.
This is a brief background of the new Cabinet Ministers.
The second phase election to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly began today at 7am amid tight security against the backdrop of Naxalites killing a school head master and a lecturer in the Naxal-infected Udupi district on Thursday night. Naxals, who were active in Shimoga, Udupi and Chikamagalur Districts, had pasted posters and distributed pamphlets a couple of days back calling for boycott of elections.
Suresh Kumar said he was withdrawing his nomination following a direction from the BJP leadership.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for Bengaluru, Bommai said he held a meeting with Nadda on Wednesday on the matter.
The electoral fortunes of top leaders-- Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP, Congress heavyweights Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar and JD-S' H D Kumaraswamy, among many others will be known on Saturday.
Bowing to the directives of the party central leadership, three Bharatiya Janata Party ministers in Karnataka on Wednesday resigned after they were engulfed in a row over watching sleazy clippings during the Assembly proceedings.
According to party sources, the Congress leadership has been making efforts to convince some ministers and lawmakers to contest, as they have faced problems in identifying winnable candidates in several segments.
Sniping at the BJP senior leadership has reached a new high in Karnataka. For the moment, there is a truce, but the party knows the damage it could do ahead of the polls.
"You are made to read lies, so please don't read it," BJP members said.
The Congress has convened a CLP meeting on Friday ahead of budget presentation and warned its MLAs that absence would invite action under the Anti-Defection Law.
Shivakumar also claimed that the BJP wanted to call for elections in Karnataka soon after the 2022 Gujarat poll results were out but backtracked on the move.
The future course of Karnataka politics may be decided on Monday by a three-judge bench of the high court comprising Justices Abdul Nasir, Mohan Shanthan Goudar and A S Bopanna. The bench will deliver a verdict on the validity of the suspension of five independent Members of Legislative Assembly by Speaker K G Bopaiah.
A Rs 20 crore deal was struck to secure bail for former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, who was arrested in connection with the iron ore mining scam, according to state Member of Legislative Assembly Suresh Babu. The revelations come in the wake of Babu's arrest by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on Monday.
The MLAs -- Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumtalli, Umesh Jadhav, and Nagendra -- did not ascribe any reason for not attending the opening day's session.
There are critics who say the Bommai's government was not able to counter the Congress narrative to paint his administration as corrupt, a factor that helped the Congress surge in the May 10 assembly elections.
While former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi announced his decision to resign from primary membership of the party, minister and six-time MLA S Angara from Sullia constitiuency in Dakshina Kannada district announced his retirement from politics.
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.
The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist on Monday took a veiled dig at the Congress by asking it to safeguard its newly elected Karnataka MLAs from being poached by the Bharatiya Janata Party as was allegedly done by the saffron party in Goa amidst the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
This marks the entry of the 8th member from the Gowda family into politics.
Eshwarappa would turn 75 in June, the unofficial age bar in the BJP for leaders to contest polls and hold official positions.
The governor has also started using a bullet-proof car since Tuesday morning, the sources told PTI.
A week after assuming power in Karnataka, the Congress on Friday released the list of 24 legislators who will be sworn-in as ministers to fill up all the vacant ministerial positions.
Factors such as anti-incumbency, voter fatigue, and dissatisfaction among the youth contributed mainly to the poor showing of Bharat Rashtra Samithi in the Telangana legislative assembly election on Sunday.
With Bharatiya Janata Party facing 'dynasty politics' criticism, following the appointment of veteran leader B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Vijayendra as its Karnataka unit president, party's senior leader C T Ravi on Saturday tried to dodge related questions, and in a cryptic remark said he too is being haunted by certain 'questions'.
Within a week of assuming power, the Congress government in Karnataka has expanded its cabinet on Saturday, filling all posts.
The party desperate to retain power in the state will also prepare dossiers on opposition MLAs to assess the winability of prospective party nominees.
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