The state is mainly witnessing a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular).
Bellary city Member of Legislative Assembly Gali Somashekhar Reddy, an accused in the cash-for-bail scandal involving his brother and jailed former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, on Friday finally appeared before the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said, he is not giving priority to such things and was concentrating on strengthening the party.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership is having a tough time trying to maintain peace between the two factions in its Karnataka unit which are headed by former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and current CM Sadananda Gowda. Both Yeddyurappa and Gowda have released lists of their supporters. The faction led by Yeddyurappa faction has already arrived at the BJP legislature party meet to elect Jagadish Shettar as the new CM.
There were reports of such incidents at temples in various places including Bengaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi, Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Yadgir, Mandya and Kolar among other places.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday searched offices of two companies, including one owned by the wife of arrested mining baron and former minister G Janardhana Reddy, and also the residence of his close associate B Nagendra.
The Karnataka high court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Legislative Assembly Y Sampangi on a criminal appeal filed by him seeking quashing of the recent conviction and sentence by the Lokayukta court.
The 52-year-old Congress leader reached Surat in the afternoon via a scheduled commercial flight along with sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and proceeded to the sessions court.
Notwithstanding last-ditch efforts by state leaders to retain him in the party, Bharatiya Janata Party's Karnataka strongman B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday said he would go ahead with his plans to float a new party. Yeddyurappa, who is angry with the party leadership over the treatment meted out to him, said he would neither destabilise the BJP government nor cajole ministers and Members of Legislative Assembly to resign and join him.
After a running battle with Karnataka governor H R Bhardwaj for recommending president's rule in the state, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday softened his stand. Yeddyurappa said he would not utter a "single word" against Bhardwaj and would respect the gubernatorial post.
In a dramatic turn of events, Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj on Sunday recommended the imposition of President's rule in the state. Bhardwaj, who returned to Bangalore on Sunday afternoon after a three-day visit to Delhi, despatched a 'special report' on the unfolding political situation in the state in the aftermath of the Supreme Court setting aside the disqualification.
The Bangalore police on Thursday claimed that they have busted a major module of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Harkat-ul-Jihadi- Islami. Eleven suspects, five from Bangalore and six from Hubli, have been detained and one of them is a journalist with a leading daily in Karnataka, said the police.Director General of Police Lalrokhuma Pachau told the media that the suspects had planned a state-wide operation in which they were going to target Members of Parliament.
A great deal of infighting is taking place in Karnataka over the allocation of portfolios in the new cabinet headed by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar. The Reddy brothers camp (and members of Legislative Assembly from the coastal belt of the state are unhappy over the lack of representation in the cabinet, and have held a series of meetings.
There seems to be no end to the woes of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka.The meeting of the legislature party -- to elect Jagadish Shettar as its leader and the next chief minister -- has been delayed following a massive protest by supporters of incumbent CM Sadananda Gowda.
The party leadership blamed two of its MLAs, Srinivas Gowda from Kolar and S R Srinivas from Gubbi, for betraying the party.
In a relief for former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, the high court has quashed proceedings initiated against him in connection with two cases. The cases against Kumaraswamy and his wife Anita, also a Janata Dal -Secular member of Legislative Assembly, relate to renewal of mining lease to the Jantakal Mining Firm in violation of norms and alleged irregularities in allotment of sites to Vishwabharathi Housing Cooperative Society.
Yeddyurappa lacks the Karnataka BJP's unqualified support and Shah knows that.
Chairman of the legislature committee probing the porngate episode involving three ruling BJP MLAs in Karnataka on Thursday said eight to ten other legislators had also watched sleazy clips in the assembly.
More than three years after assuming office, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will effect a major reshuffle of his ministry on Sunday in a bid to refurbish administration with several ministers facing the axe.
Congress' good show was a "Janata Janardhana Victory", he said, crediting the people for the party's apparent return to power as it established a clear lead ahead of its rival BJP.
The situation in the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be grim with 21 leaders (9 Members of Legislative Assembly and 12 Members of Parliament) expressing their open support to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in case he decides to quit the party. But what has taken everyone by surprise is the open praise lavished upon Congress president Sonia Gandhi by Yeddyurappa.
There are two such seats in Tamil Nadu and one each in West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Madhya Pradesh.
The drama in Karnataka is expected to drag on for some more time with the Central leadership telling former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa faction to wait at least another three days.
There appears to be no solution to the ongoing crisis in Karnataka. BS Yeddyurappa, who has parked 55 members of Legislative Assembly at a five-start resort in the outskirts of Bengaluru, has flatly rejected an invitation by Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari to hold talks.
Congress leader and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala said on Sunday that the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) has unanimously passed the resolution and the observers will seek the opinions of all MLAs and convey it to the party high command.
The battle between Chief Minister of Karnataka, B S Yeddyurappa and former Chief Minister, H D Kumaraswamy was taken to Dharmasthala on Monday.
After dissidence in Karnataka, a section of Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar have revolted against their party leader and Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi for his reported statement intending to cover sharecroppers under the Kisan Credit Card Scheme.
There is no mention of Kolar, the second seat from where senior party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, wants to contest, in addition to Varuna, where his name is already cleared.
The Congress on Thursday demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on moral grounds after two out of three ministers in his government were found watching a porn clip on a cell-phone in the state legislative assembly. "The BJP, which talks of high morals and ethics, has no face left. What will its president Nitin Gadkari say now on this episode," said All India Congress Committee Secretary Sudhakar Reddy.
Bengaluru dominates Karnataka's economy and its infrastructure mess compounds the problems, with policies lagging need and expectations.
The 10 rebel MLAs had moved apex court alleging that the Karnataka assembly speaker was not accepting their resignations.
Eshwarappa, who recently announced his retirement from electoral politics, also shared a video of him talking to Modi in a phone call.
BJP let Yeddyurappa get away with indiscretions as it did not want to rock the boat in Karnataka, says Aditi Phadnis
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in poll-bound Karnataka on Friday sought to woo farmers, women and younger generation with a slew of welfare measures in its last budget in the current term, also earmarking Rs 1000 crore towards development and renovation of various temples and maths in the state.
This motion is in keeping with a directive by Governor T N Chaturvedi to him on January 28, to prove his majority within eight days of assuming office.
Hit by a barrage of allegations of corruption and intense power struggle among its leaders, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka is holding a two-day brainstorming session to give lessons on morality and discipline to its legislators from Friday.
Legislators are said to be miffed and have complained that they had not been able to get work done in their constituencies, and also transfers (of Government servants) as requested, and have expressed unhappiness regarding Ministers, alleging non-cooperation.
The Congress on Tuesday suffered a major upset in Himachal Pradesh at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Rajya Sabha elections which were marred by cross-voting in all the three states though it won three seats in Karnataka while the saffron party pocketed an extra seat in Uttar Pradesh.
'This means the remedy will be worse than the disease. The thing which you want to avoid will happen.'
The JD-S has chosen the serene surroundings of Nandi Hill on the city outskirts while its partner Congress opted for a star hotel, sources in the parties said. The MLAs of the BJP are staying in the cozy comforts of a resort near Yelahanka and an ultra luxury hotel.
