Here's how Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders reacted after the Supreme Court ordered for a floor test in Karnataka on Saturday.
On its own or with allies the Congress has a strong presence in states that account for a total of 253 LS seats, or 20 short of the magic figure of 272 required to form a government at the Centre. So what is Mamata Banerjee talking about, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Karnataka government has suspended 40 officials and staff and issued show-cause notices to 257 who have been named by Lokayukta reports in illegal mining in Karnataka, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka is expected to face more hiccups in the days to come, as 15 to 20 of its legislators are likely to join the B S Yeddyurappa-led Karnataka Janata Party.
The confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy was defeated with 99 members voting for the motion and 105 against it in a House of 225 including speaker P R Ramesh Kumar and a nominated member.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Karnataka government's move to send nearly 100 Members of Legislative Assembly abroad on a 'study tour' has come under flak from B S Yeddyurappa, who demanded that the programme be cancelled in view of severe drought conditions prevailing in large parts of the state.
'Why is the entire Cabinet running around in Bangalore?' 'Why are they making arrangements for horse-trading?' 'Is this not the BJP's greed for power?' 'They have won the entire country. Why are they so desperate for Karnataka?'
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram is Congress nominee from Maharashtra for the biennial elections to Rajya Sabha while senior leaders Kapil Sibal and Jairam Ramesh have been named from Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka respectively.
As B S Yeddyurappa is all set to launch his party on Sunday, the BJP's focus is on legislators who will attend his rally defying orders from the party. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to vote in large numbers. "Today, there are bypolls taking place in various places across India. I urge those voting in these seats to vote in large numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy," he said in a tweet.
Somshekhar Reddy, Karnataka Member of Legislative Assembly from Bellary, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the cash-for-bail scam. According to the other arrested accused in the case, it was Reddy who passed on the money which was used to bribe those judges who eventually granted bail to his brother Janardhan Reddy, in a case connected to illegal mining.
Extensive arrangements have been made due to the COVID-19 pandemic including personal protective equipment kits for election staff, more polling booths, thermal screening, sanitisers, masks and gloves for voters and markings to ensure social distancing, officials said.
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.
This is the first Cabinet expansion after he assumed office on July 26 and proved his government's majority on the floor of the assembly on July 29.
Senior Congress leaders accused the BJP of trying to bring down the party-led government, which is surviving on support of over half a dozen independent, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs.
Even as Karnataka continues to release water to Tamil Nadu as per the directive of the Cauvery River Waters Authority, all the members of Legislative Assembly from the Janata Dal-Secular have tendered their resignations against this move by the Karnataka government.
Reeling under the porngate scandal involving three of its members, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka on Tuesday decided to hold a training session for its ministers and legislators to teach them discipline and morality. The core committee meeting held at Krishna, the official residence of Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, decided to conduct the 'chintan-manthan' session, a brain storming session during which its ministers and legislators would get lessons.
The report of the Karnataka minorities commission on the alleged Rs 2 lakh crore Wakf property scam generated considerable heat in the Legislative assembly, where an agitated opposition demanded a thorough enquiry and punishment to those found guilty.
Personal differences between the two alliance partners, Congress insiders say, are owing to Kumaraswamy's style of functioning. He, unlike his father, is suspected to have a soft corner for the BJP, reports Bibhu Ranjan Mishra.
Yeddyurappa and his 65 legislators, who were revolting for a leadership change in Karnataka, finally agreed to attend the budget session after an assurance from the party's central leadership that their grievances would be looked into.
"The arrogance of buying any politician and form a government will no longer work in this state. The bubble of being invincible has burst," Raut said.
The tug-of-war between the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa continues with the latter deciding to advance the launch of his party by a day in view of the special session of the legislative assembly scheduled to be held at Belgaum.
A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud also ordered video recording and possible live streaming of the assembly proceedings when the Kamal Nath led Congress government would undertake the floor test.
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa alleged that the government has 'misused' the office of the President by getting Tipu's name mentioned in the speech.
Former PM H D Deve Gowda on his party's prospects in the coming elections.
There was some more embarrassment for the government in Karnataka when a minister was caught watching a pornographic clip when proceedings were on in the legislative assembly in Bengaluru.
'The leaders of the two parties, the rank and file, and even their respective vote banks are passionately opposed to each other.' 'At the top, between the leaders, it is personal, bitter and hostile.' 'This was not going to work. Everyone knew it.'
Names of CMs of Punjab and Karnataka along with a former CM found mention in the list.
The party is better at winning elections than at governance and it remains intent on pushing ahead with its trademark social and political agenda observes T N Ninan.
Baig, the MLA from Shivajinagar, was suspended from the Congress for his alleged anti-party activities as he had rebelled against the party leaders.
New Union minister L Murugan's declaration of Kongu Nadu as his native place, instead of Tamil Nadu, may be part of a grand BJP strategy to create new states out of existing ones, particularly those that have anti-BJP governments, mulls N Sathiya Moorthy.
In a stern message to the powerful Reddy brothers, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka on Friday slapped show cause notices on three members of Legislative Assembly and a member of Legislative Council loyal to them for alleged anti-party activities in backing rebel candidate B Sreeramulu for the bypoll to Bellary rural assembly segment.
Three former Karnataka ministers on Monday sought a week's extension to file reply to the show-cause notices issued by Speaker K G Bopaiah on the porn-watching episode in the legislative assembly.
In a renewed bid to get the party to reinstate him, former Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa has decided to move his members of Legislative Assembly to a resort on Monday.
The brewing discontentment in the party may adversely impact the TMC's prospects in the next assembly polls due in April-May next year.
I will continue to remain in the party and serve as MLA, he said in Bengaluru.
The 13 month-old Karnataka coalition government of JD-S and Congress slumped into crisis following the resignation of their 11 MLAs from the membership of the state assembly on Saturday.
A delegation of Congress leaders from Karnataka on Saturday met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh demanding immediate appropriate action on Governor H R Bhardwaj's report to the Centre recommending dismissal of the B S Yeddyurappa government in the state.
In a shift from Goa government's earlier stand, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said he would not allow the controversial right wing outfit Sri Ram Sene to work in the state.
A resolution to punish the two journalists -- Belagere, who is Editor of Hi Bangalore, and Anil Raju, Editor of Yelahanka Voice -- was adopted by the assembly by a voice vote
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