Rebel Janata Dal-Secular leader M P Prakash on Monday held consultations with party legislators supporting him to chalk out the strategy of the group, which is opposing the renewed ties with Bharatiya Janata Party on government formation in Karnataka.
The state has also been battered by administrative chaos due to political instability in the coalition era notwithstanding the Congress-Janata Dal Secular and JDS-BJP dispensations' claims of having ensured development.
Mamatha Nichani speaks about her political ambitions, her thoughts on the political scenario and her decision to join the Congress, a party which her father, Ramakrishna Hegde, had opposed all his life.
Janata Dal - Secular chief H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday said the final shape of the Third Front would be known only after the Lok Sabha elections."The first part of the alliance is ready. The second part would be decided only after the election results are announced," Gowda said. He added that "all secular parties will rise to find a solution on forming the government at the Centre".
Announcing his decision to return to his 'mother party', the Congress, Chandrashekhar accused BJP and its leaders of 'abandoning' him after giving him the ticket.
'Majority of the workers are not interested in the coalition'
'New Delhi is in a perpetual dilemma. It can't do without Yediyurappa, but it doesn't want a powerful CM. It stokes the opponents within against him. The result is he has never settled down in office, even in the present tenure'
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said the BJP was demanding early elections because development work in the state has been affected and various welfare schemes have come to a halt.
Participating in the debate on the budget, leaders of parties like the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Aam Aadmi Party and Left launched an all-out attack on the BJP government for allegedly selling off the country's assets and PSUs to big industrialists.
The BJP presented a surplus, farmer friendly budget for Rs 18.85 crore for the year 2008-09. Emphasis was also given to Bengaluru city with Rs 36,000 crore being allocated for infrastructure development. In his budget speech, Yeddyurappa said that the main intention was to improve the image of Bengaluru and put it on the global map. For this to take place the development of infrastructure was the key.
Another disqualified rebel MLA from Maski, Pratap Gowda Patil, asked the voters in a video message not to panic and said they were confident of emerging victorious in the Supreme Court.
As Karnataka draws closer to elections, the three major political parties are finalizing the strategy to be adopted in the forthcoming elections.
The sources said elections will most likely to be held within six months. The decision by the Parliament was taken after the Union Cabinet gave its approval taking into account the fact that no party was able to form the government.
Prakash, former state home minister, who has launched a banner of revolt against Gowda for certain 'unilateral' decisions adopted by him on party matters including toppling of the BJP-led coalition government, called the meeting to decide future course of action.
It was a black Monday as a Janata Dal-Secular rally in Bengaluru wrecked havoc for motorists on the streets. People were stranded on the streets for over five hours thanks to the JD-S convention which was held at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore on Monday.
In the public eye, it seemed as though leaders were talking to each other in person or through the media. In reality, leaders refused to even see eye-to-eye and utilized the services of a mediator to do all the talking. What happened behind the scenes? How did the allies mend the fences? Rediff.com spoke to the official mediators of the JDS and the BJP to find out.
H D Kumaraswamy, former chief minister of Karnataka and Janata Dal-Secular leader, says he is confident of defending his political turf.
Chief Electoral Officer M N Vidyashankar said on Sunday an average of 66 per cent polling was registered in the first phase of elections in the segments spread over 11 districts. This is higher than the 65.07 per cent average polled in the 224 assembly segments in 2004 polls.
The announcement comes after an outcry over the rape of a woman identified as Reshma and the subsequent attack on journalists by the MLA who is allegedly involved, Anant Singh of the Janata Dal-Secular.
Kumaraswamy's remarks assumed significance in the backdrop of former home minister Prakash rushing to Delhi on Friday to continue talks with Congress leaders in a bid to concretise efforts for government formation proposal.
On being branded as a party of Lingayats, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said in North Karnataka, other parties were trying to give his party this image. "However, this is untrue and the distribution of tickets, especially in Bangalore, will prove that wrong. Most of our candidates are from the Vokkaliga and Reddy community and hence branding the BJP as a party of Lingayats is not correct," he added.
Baig, the MLA from Shivajinagar, was suspended from the Congress for his alleged anti-party activities as he had rebelled against the party leaders.
Vishsveshwara Theertha Swami of the Pejawar mutt from the religious Udupi town in coastal Karnataka is trying to broker peace between the Janata Dal-Secular and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka so that the two parties could get together and form the government.
The two-day conclave of the Karnataka Janata Dal-Secular that concluded on Tuesday decided against exploring possibilities of forming another government and galvanised the party for mid-term polls.The top leadership has been trying since Monday to placate its agitated MLAs, who have been insisting that efforts be made towards installing a government either with its estranged partner BJP or with the Congress.
The Janata Dal-Secular leader, who was sworn-in Karnataka chief minister last week after the Congress extended unconditional support to his party, said he is ready with the guidelines on farm loan waiver, details of which will be disclosed on Wednesday.
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was summoned by Governor Rameshwar Thakur on Monday and asked to explain his stand about the ongoing political crisis. During the hour-long meeting with the chief minister, the governor asked Kumaraswamy to make his stance clear. Thakur also wanted to know the Janata Dal Secular's next course of action. Kumaraswamy sought time till October 18, so that he could prove his majority in the Legislative Assmebly after a trust vote.
The BJP formally withdrew support from the Karnataka government on Sunday, thus reducing the Janata Dal-Secular government, led by Kumaraswamy, to a minority. The BJP met Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur at Raj Bhavan on Sunday to inform him about its decision to withdraw support. The BJP leaders also urged the governor to impose President's rule. Kumaraswamy said that he is ready to face the trust vote on October 18 and added that he is confident of winning.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is reported to have told his legislators about his intention to resign from the post of chief minister. However, the MLAs were united in their stand and urged him not to step down.
The move came following the hour-long meeting of the party in Bangalore, necessitated by the Janata Dal-Secular's refusal to hand over power as promised on October 3.
Kumaraswamy said Sriramulu has submitted his resignation several times in the past, but that did not change anything.
This time, aspiring candidates are presenting neat applications. A bio-data, running into a minimum of four pages and mentioning all their credentials, letters of recommendation and several papers mentioning their loyalty towards their respective party. However, in Karnataka, at least this time, it is very evident that the elections are going to be fought mainly on the caste factor.
Kumaraswamy rejected a charge by the saffron party that he was trying to poach their lawmakers.
The Congress in north Karnataka has been given a three month ultimatum to regain its past glory by All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who met with youth Congress party workers at Hubli on Wednesday. Rahul sought to know why the party's performance has been dismal in north Karnataka. He urged party workers to pull up their socks and work extensively towards bettering the party.
The JD-S led by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, who is known for visiting temples across the country and performing ceremonies of various kinds to reap divine blessing, is at it once again. Gowda engaged a team of priests and performed special ceremonies, including night-long homam, to propitiate gods and to bestow power to his party and particularly his son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, to occupy the chair he lost last year.
The Karnataka state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to be more assertive in their approach to put to an end the free run of their coalition partner the Janata Dal-Secular.
In the much expected exercise that takes the state ministry's strength to the maximum permissible limit of 34, Kumaraswamy inducted three ministers from his party Janata Dal (Secular) and two from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Fearing poaching from the BJP, the MLAs were moved and expected to be lodged in five-star hotels or resorts.
All candidates hoping for a Janata Dal-Secular ticket to contest the elections in Karnataka will now have to pass an examination carried out by none other than party chief and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
The Congress claimed that the BJP was "trying hard" to get their party's MLAs on their side".
Deve Gowda is particularly fond of his grandson and has always considered him as the successor to their political legacy. When Nikhil's involvement in the brawl was grabbing headlines, Gowda senior left not stone unturned to defend him. He was also upset about the manner in which the media went hammer and tongs against his grandson.
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