The mining scam in Karnataka brought down BS Yeddyurappa from the chief minister's seat. Now it threatens to expose the state's 3 former chief minister S M Krishna, H D Kumaraswamy and N Dharam Singh. Vicky Nanjappa reports
From invoking the 'Saptarishi' (Ursa Major) constellation, seven basic notes of Indian classical music to 'saat phere' (seven circumambulations) -- parties give different reasons and logic to claim that they will emerge victorious in the polls.
Polling across 55 assembly constituencies assembly in nine districts got off to sluggish start at 7 am due to the cold and fog at several places.
As many as 586 candidates are in the fray in this phase with the seats spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur.
The BJP stormed back to power in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, trouncing its main rival SP, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserting that people have buried the politics of caste and religion.
In a last-ditch bid to save the coalition government in Karnataka, Congress Friday offered Janata Dal-Secular the "Maharashtra model" power-sharing formula, just before Chief Minister Dharam Singh was to seek a vote of confidence.
The Janata Dal [Secular] is expected to make a last ditch effort to persuade the Congress to accept its demand that it should lead the coalition government with Siddaramaiah as the chief minister.
Successive elections have demonstrated that the BJP campaign switches towards polarisation when it is faced with palpable discontent among the electorate, notes Utkarsh Mishra.
Keshav Prasad Maurya's election from Sirathu in Kaushambi will be among the keenly watched contests in UP. If he and the BJP win, will he be luckier this time?
There seems to be no "closure" for B S Yediyurappa, the Bharatiya Janata Party's "comeback man" in Karnataka, as he could never complete a full term in office, despite becoming the chief minister four times, surmounting odds. It's also too early to write a political obituary of the 78-year old Lingayat strongman and the 24X7 politician, the face of the party in the state for decades.
Informing about his decision, Maurya said in a tweet in Hindi, 'Due to the attitude of gross neglect towards Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed youth and small and medium-sized traders, I am resigning from the council of ministers of Yogi (Adityanath) of UP.'
The COVID-19 case fatality rate has reduced from around 3.33 per cent in mid-June to 2.25 per cent today.
A complaint was on Wednesday filed in the Lokayukta court against four former Karnataka chief ministers, including former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, for alleged irregularities in the Bangalore-Mysore expressway project.
The IT department also questioned the various investments made by his family members in India and countries abroad.
The Karnataka high court on Wednesday adjourned hearing on a petition filed by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna. Justice B V Pinto is likely to take up the matter for hearing on Thursday.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday moved the Karnataka High Court against the order of the Lokayukta court, which directed the police to investigate the illegal mining case against him.
The Karnataka government has told the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowerment Committee that it could go ahead and probe the three former chief ministers of the state in connection with the illegal mining case.
The moment a case is filed against a political leader, opposition parties go all out demanding his resignation. On Thursday, a FIR was registered against three former chief ministers of Karnataka in connection to a case of illegal mining. The FIR was registered in the wake of a private complaint filed in the court of the Karnataka Lokayukta, which alleged that S M Krishna, N Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy had helped certain companies carry out illegal mining.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's followers spoke up for him before the Bharatiya Janata Party's high command on Friday morning. Now, they have decided to take on the report on illegal mining by Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde that indicts the CM and his family.
In a major setback to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, the Lokayukta court has ordered a probe against him in connection with an illegal mining case. The Lokayukta special court also ordered probes against former chief ministers H D Kumaraswamy and N Dharam Singh in connection with the same case. Lokayukta Special Court Judge N K Sudhindra Rao on Saturday directed the police to complete the probe by January 6 and submit its final report.
In yet another sign of fissure in his relations with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj has sought an "unconditional apology" from Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa over his reported remarks on illegal mining issue.
The Karnataka Lokayukta's report on illegal mining in the state is said to have named Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappaa, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, the Reddy brothers among others.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde on Friday dismissed as 'totally wrong' reports that he has named External Affairs Minister S M Krishna in his report on illegal mining in the state.
Without doubt, the BJP is miles ahead in marshalling digital tools for electioneering better than any other party, observes Virendra Kapoor.
India may soon see a new set of oil barons with lesser-known companies venturing into crude oil and natural gas production. These new kids on the block have come up through a mix of entrepreneurial grit and backing from oil industry veterans. Nippon Power, South Asia Consultancy, PFH (Poddar Family Holdings) Resources and Chennai-based Adbhoot Estates could be the first ones to start production from blocks awarded during the first round of Discovered Small Field (DSF-1) auctions. Adbhoot is in a 50:50 joint venture with the Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Hindustan Oil Exploration Company that has some five oil producing assets and over 10 blocks across the country.
The Congress on Tuesday gained simple majority in the Haryana assembly with a member of legislative assembly from Haryana Janhit Congress (Bhajan Lal) joining the ruling party on Monday.
The Karnataka elections had its share of upsets this year. Some major politicians who were defeated include former chief ministers N Dharam Singh and S Bangarappa, former Union minister and film star Ambareesh, Madhu and Kumar Bangarappa.
The less charitable in the party say he owes his appointment Sonia Gandhi -- the family wanted someone who wouldn't talk back and would not exert himself too much, notes Aditi Phadnis.
The results announced in the elections to the 224-member Karnataka assembly:
The third and final phase of the Karnataka elections on Thursday will decide the fate of 530 candidates, who will contest from 69 Assembly constituencies spread over the northern part of the state. The phase will decide the fate of Congress chief Mallikarjuna Kharge, who is tipped to be the Chief Minister if the party comes to power. Former chief minister and Congress leader, N Dharam Singh is also in the fray in the third phase of the elections.
B S Yediyurappa, deputy chief minister designate of the new Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government to be sworn-in in Karnataka on February 3, Sunday said the government would formulate a Common Minimum Programme.
"JD-S will not transfer power to BJP. See what all will happen on October 3," Singh, a former chief minister, told reporters in Bangalore on Thursday.
Revenue Minister M P Prakash was appointed Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister in place of Janata Dal (Secular) rebel Siddaramaiah on Saturday.
The Speaker told reporters later that the chief minister failed to seek the trust vote.
Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-Secular legislators boycotted the governor's address to the joint session of the legislature.
The governor told the delegation that he was considering the matter.
After months of bitter exchanges over this city's crumbling infrastructure, the Karnataka government and the IT industry on Thursday smoked the peace pipe, paving the way for the smooth conduct of the state's flagship tech event 'Bangalore IT.in.
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