Caste composition is going to be a huge determinant for winning the constituency where Vokkaligas and Lingayats constitute a vast majority, which puts Siddaramaiah in a weaker turf given that he belongs to the Kuruba community.
'Will the liberals explain if minorities are under such a dire threat in India, how come more and more groups want to separate from the majority and want themselves to be declared a minority?' asks Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'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'
There have been speculations in some quarters in recent times about the possible change in leadership, considering Yediyurappa's age.
Karnataka, by reposing its faith in BSY, remains a Hindutva stronghold, reports R Rajagopalan.
This probably would be the first election in Karnataka where two major factors -- the lobbying and the caste factor -- are not going to be in play, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
With Eranna Bhimappa Kadadi and Ashok Jasti -- one Lingayat and one from the OBC -- named as BJP's candidates for the upper house, bypassing the recommendation of the state unit chief Nalin Kumar Kateel and Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, as well as the core committee of the state, BJP leaders in Karnataka say the move is calculated to diminish the stature of the CM and create conditions for him to be eased out.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa finds himself in a spot of bother, yet again after the Bharatiya Janata Party announced Jagadish Shettar, also a Lingayat as the chief ministerial candidate in the next elections. Ironically, Yeddyurappa himself had installed Shettar's as the CM when he was with the BJP. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Two deputy chief ministers along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are set to take the oath on Monday. Siddarmaiah will be sworn in at 11.40 am at the Kanteerva stadium on Monday. Two deputy CM's will also take oath although their names have not been made public yet. Two Dy CMs are being appointed keeping in mind the caste equations.
Two deputy chief ministers along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are set to take the oath on Monday. Siddarmaiah will be sworn in at 11.40 am at the Kanteerva stadium on Monday. Two deputy CM's will also take oath although their names have not been made public yet. Two Dy CMs are being appointed keeping in mind the caste equations.
Three Indian sailors, who have been missing since their ship sank four months ago off the UAE coast, may have been rescued by Iranians, a media report has claimed. The Indian consulate is now in contact with the Iranian officials to ascertain further details.
Jagadish Shettar, a Lingayat leader backed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yeddyurappa, was on Thursday sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka. The swearing-in ceremony took place in the absence of the entire Opposition, which decided to stay away.
The Vokkaliga community, which was upset after D Sadananda Gowda was replaced by Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar as chief minister, has now asked all ministers and MLAs belonging to the community in the BJP to resign immediately.
The Bharatiya Janata P arty core group will meet on Saturday to take a decision on replacing Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda with Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar and finalise the strategy for the vice presidential election.
Bowing to pressure from B S Yeddyurappa, Bharatiya Janata Party appears set to replace Karnataka Chief Minister Sadanand Gowda with Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar and an announcement is expected within a week.
While some would give the BJP full marks for starting early in the only state in the south where it stands a chance, the 'party with a difference' has fallen back on a tainted leader.
The BJP has less than five months to straighten things out to taken on the Lingayat strongman in the May 2013 elections, says Aditi Phadnis
'Let me narrate the background as to why Siddaramaiah was taken from my party to the Congress.' 'He belongs to a particular backward community. So by taking Siddaramaiah from my party, it was going to be more advantageous for the Congress.' 'Whatever may be the merits and demerits of the caste equation, it is a consideration for all the parties.' 'The BJP is also playing the caste guard.'
Modi said the Congress and its allies and the ecosystem created by them are standing up against the Indian Parliament.
The 65-year-old passed away at around 8 pm at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences trauma centre which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 facility, sources at the hospital said.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has made it clearer that he is no longer a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
A five-time Member of Parliament from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency is now the Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Jagadish Shettar will be the new Chief Minister of Karnataka--the third in four years--and will be sworn in on Thursday after he was elected leader of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party legislature party today amid high drama over demands from warring factions before the change of guard.
Buckling under B S Yeddyurappa's pressure, Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday decided to replace Sadananda Gowda with Jagdish Shettar as the chief minister of Karnataka marking the third change in the state in four years. The decision was taken at the BJP core group meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, sources said.
April 28 will be an interesting day in Karnataka politics. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will pay a visit to the state to take stock of the drought situation and pep up the feuding party cadres. She will also visit the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur that is considered to be the abode of the dominant Lingayat community in the state. Gandhi will take part in a programme to wish Sivakumar Swamy, the seer of the mutt, on his 105th birthday.
Aditi Phadnis and Archis Mohan take a state by state takedown of the party's chances in the poll-bound states.
'And the same trust was evident in the Karnataka election.'
Seeking to set at rest speculation on his future political moves, former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has decided to stay away from the coming 105th birthday celebration of Siddaganga mutt seer Shivakumara Swamiji in which Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is to take part in it.
Sonia wanted to know what happened to the institution of Lok Pal, the anti-graft watchdog that was proposed to be set up.
The BJP released the list a day after its central election committee met to finalise the names of its candidates for the high-stakes election.
Although Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has gone quiet for now, it's still not a complete relief for ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as they know it's only a momentary calm, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
The talks between BS Yeddyurappa and the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders appear to have succeeded with sources now indicating that the chief minister has agreed to step down on Sunday afternoon at around 1 pm.
Although there is no official word on Yeddyurappa's set of demands, sources say that the senior leaders were tough on him and said that the Lingayat leader could face action if he played out this drama further.
Embattled Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa late on Thursday night issued a press statement which stated that he will tender his resignation to Governor H R Bharadwaj on July 31.
PM started 'Make in India' but every product in market is Make in China: Rahul
Justice Shivraj Patil will take over as the Lokayukta in Karnataka once Justice Santosh Hegde retires in August.Justice Patil, who belongs to the Lingayat community of Karnataka, was recently in the news when he was the appointed to probe the lapses in the sale of 2G spectrum by the telecom ministry. Justice Patil will take over as the top anti-corruption official of Karnataka at a crucial time, when the state government is trying to play down the report on illegal mining.
Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash passed away at a private hospital in Bangalore on Wednesday after a pro longed battle with cancer.
The constituency comprises nearly 60,000 Kurubas -- a community which the CM belongs to -- and a Muslim population of at least 20,000. With their unified backing, there is no overt danger to the CM, reports Aditi Phadnis.
Losing power after having come so close, Yediyurappa was determined to regain the reins of power from H D Kumaraswamy.
'What happened in the Vajpayee era will repeat in the Modi era in 2019.'