News Analysis India

Tag: Karnataka

  • ‘People living in Karnataka should learn Kannada’: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

    Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that it is the responsibility of every Kannadiga to protect the Kannada language, land and water and urged everyone in the state to learn the language.

    The Chief Minister said speaking the mother tongue should be a matter of pride.

    “Everyone must decide to speak in Kannada with those who live in Karnataka. A vow must be taken that no language other than Kannada is spoken. Kannadigas are generous. That is why there is an environment in Karnataka where even those who speak other languages can live without learning Kannada. The same situation cannot be seen in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, or Kerala states. They speak only in their mother tongue. We also have to speak in our mother tongue. That should make us proud,” Siddaramaiah said while addressing a public function in Bengaluru.”It is the duty of all of us to create a Kannada atmosphere. For that, all the people living here should learn Kannada. Love for Kannada should be developed. But we should develop respect and admiration for our language, land and country,” he said.

    He was addressing the gathering after performing Bhoomi Puja for the construction of a bronze statue of Nada Devi Bhuvaneshwari near the western entrance of Vidhana Soudha as part of the Karnataka Namakarana Suvarna Mahotsava celebrations organised by the Department of Kannada and Culture.

    The Chief Minister said that a bronze statue of about 25 feet in height will be constructed on the premises of Vidhana Soudha. He said that the work should be completed by November 1, 2024.”Work has already started and there is no shortage of funds. It is directed that it should be attractive to the people. I think the statue will add to the charm of the Vidhana Soudha,” he said.November 1, 2023, marked 50 years since the state was named Karnataka and this year was named Karnataka Sambhrama along with the ‘Hesaraayitu Karnataka, Usiragali Kannada’ slogan.

    “We organized programmes for the whole year. The programme started from Hampi on November 1, 2023. A big programme was held in Gadag too. After the naming, the then Chief Minister Devaraja Arasu visited the place. It was during his time that the state was named Karnataka. Until then it was called Mysore State,” the Chief Minister recalled.

    Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraja Horatti, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivraj Thangadagi and MLAs were present.

  • Exit Polls predictions 2024: BJP will lose significantly in south, says Shashi Tharoor – The Economic Times Video

    After the last phase of voting, Congress MP & candidate from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram said that the exit polls were deeply unscientific, he added last year the majority of exit polls got the results wrong in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, BJP will lose significantly in Karnataka and they certainly won’t gain in Kerela and Tamil Nadu. Shashi Tharoor said, “…We have been travelling throughout the country campaigning and have a sense of what is the reality on the ground. Exit polls are deeply unscientific. Last year, the majority of exit polls got the results wrong in Chhattisgarh & Rajasthan. What we are interested in is the real poll- the votes of the public…BJP will lose significantly in Karnataka and they certainly won’t gain in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.”

  • Amit Shah meets murdered student Neha’s father, assures him of justice for his daughter

    Hubballi (Karnataka): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday met Congress Councillor Niranjan Hiremath and assured justice for his daughter Neha who was stabbed to death inside her college campus last month. The 23-year-old Neha, daughter of the Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, was stabbed to death by her former classmate Fayaz Khodunaik on the campus of her college in Dharwad on April 18. The incident sparked widespread condemnation and protests.

    After meeting Shah, Hiremath said that the union home minister assured them that justice would be done, and said that if needed, the case can be handed over to the CBI for further investigation.

    Speaking to PTI Videos, Hiremath said, “Today union home minister came here and we met him. I have given a memorandum to him stating about my daughter’s murder which happened on April 18. Though he is aware about the incident, I still gave him a copy of the complaint and FIR. I also gave him a request letter seeking changes in the IPC section for such incidents”. Hiremath urged Shah to ensure that capital punishment is given in such cases. “I urged that such cases should be completed within 90 days or 120 days and also requested him for capital punishment in such cases,” he said. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesNeha’s father said that he told Shah about the inquiry being conducted by the CID team and informed him that the accused in the case has been taken into custody and the investigation is underway. “He (Amit Shah) assured me that we will get justice and also said that we are with you,” he added.

  • ‘Can They Provide Safety….’: PM Modi Hits Out At Congress Over Karnataka College Girl Murder |

    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the ruling party in Karnataka and questioned the public he was addressing in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada if Congress can provide safety to the girl in the state.

    PM Modi attacked Congress over the recent murder of a Hubballi student, Neha Hiremath, at her college premises that created “sensation” in the country, he said, the family sought action, but the Congress government gave priority to appeasement.

    “For them, the lives of daughters like Neha have no value, they think only about their vote bank. Can Congress ever provide safety to your daughters?  In a college campus, in daylight, such dare, they who committed crime know that those hungry for vote bank will save them in a few days.”

    #WATCH Uttara Kannada, Karnataka: PM Narendra Modi while addressing the public meeting in Sirsi says, “A few days back, what happened to a daughter in Hubballi, the entire nation is worried about it… In a college campus, in daylight, such dare, they who committed crime know… pic.twitter.com/Gze3YFHUoW
    — ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2024

    “Even when there was a bomb blast in a Bengaluru’s cafe, the Congress government did not take it seriously initially; they even termed it a cylinder blast initially. “Why are you — Congress — lying to the people of the country, if you can’t, leave and go home,” Modi said.

    The Congress for the sake of votes is taking support of banned PFI — the anti-national organisation that supported terrorism. “To win one seat in Wayanad, are you surrendering to them? BJP has banned PFI and has put its leaders behind bars.” he said.

  • Cong President Mallikarjun Kharge’s emotional appeal in Kalaburagi: At least come to my funeral… – The Economic Times Video

    The Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, has appealed to the people of his home district of Kalaburagi. He requested them to attend his funeral if they believed he worked for them, even if they didn’t wish to vote for the party candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Kharge, who won the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014 but lost in 2019, has stated that he will remain a part of politics until his last breath to fight against the BJP and RSS ideologies.

  • Lok Sabha elections: Amit Shah to hold road show during his day-long engagement in Karnataka tomorrow

    New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is all set to fulfill a range of obligations in Karnataka, including participating in a road show, scheduled for Tuesday.

    During his day-long busy schedule, Shah will address the Sakti Kendra Pramukh Sammelan at Palace Ground in Bengaluru on Tuesday morning. The event is aimed at bolstering grassroots leadership and organizational strength ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

    Following the engagement, Shah is scheduled to convene a Core Group Meeting of the BJP in Bengaluru to discuss key policy matters and strategies for the region.Later in the day, Shah will lead a road show from Chikkamalur to DT Ramu Circle, Channapatna in Karnataka’ Ramanagara, engaging with citizens and highlighting the government’s initiatives.

    The Union Minister’s visit underscores the significance of Karnataka in the political landscape and signals the government’s commitment to the state’s development and welfare.

    The BJP has fielded its candidates in 25 Lok Sabha constituencies and left three other seats for its ally JD (S) in the State.It has fielded JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s son-in-law, C N Manjunath, from Bengaluru Rural constituency against three-time MP and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s brother, D K Suresh.The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for 28 constituencies.

  • Rajya Sabha Election 2024 Live Updates: Cross-Voting In UP, HP May Benefit BJP |

    Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections in three states – Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh – are underway with 15 seats up for grabs. The polls are likely to be highly competitive for three seats in two states governed by the Congress and one seat in Uttar Pradesh. Due to the fear of cross-voting in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, the Congress and Samajwadi Party are keeping a close eye on their MLAs. In a setback for the Samajwadi Party, while an MLA (Manoj Kumar Pandey) resigned from the party, two other indicated that they will vote for the ruling party candidate. According to Zee News TV, at least 7 SP MLAs held a meeting with the BJP minister.

    On Samajwadi Party MLA Manoj Kumar Pandey’s resignation, UP Minister Dayashankar Singh said, “Manoj Pandey has always been a supporter of Sanatana Dharma. He has always been giving statements regarding the same. He wanted everyone to visit Ayodhya and have a darshan. This is the reason he is showing faith in PM Modi’s leadership and is taking such a decision…”

    02.20 PM: According to Zee News TV, the affirmative reports of cross-voting have come from both Himachal Pradesh and UP, 7 MLAs from UP, while 8-10 MLAs from Himachal Pradesh’s Congress have allegedly voted for the BJP. Sudhir Sharma, Rajeev Rana, Ravi Thakur, Davinder Kumar (Bhutto), Chaitanya Sharma, and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal are some names who have reportedly voted for the BJP. 

    01:55 PM: Karnataka JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy said, “Congress has been disturbing JD(S) MLAs everyday. Each day they have been saying that more than 12-13 JD(S) are ready to join Congress. To show our strength, we put forward a candidate in this election.”

    01.45 PM: On speculation of cross-voting, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Sukhu said, “We have 40 MLAs. If no one is sold, then we will receive 40 out of 40 votes. (Agar koi bika nahi hoga toh humein 40/40 votes aayenge).”

    01.36 PM: In response to speculations about cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections by Karnataka BJP leader ST Somashekar, Congress MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao asserts our unity remains unshaken. He added, “For the BJP, it has become a practice to use any method to win.”

    01.22 PM: ST Somashekar, BJP MLA Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) said that sometimes such things happen. He added, “The party had given clear direction to vote for BJP-JD(S) candidates.”

    01.15 PM: UP’s Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) leader Raja Bhaiya affirmed that 8candidates from BJP will win. “We had made it clear that Jansatta Dal will support BJP candidates,” he added.

    01.03 PM: Voting concluded for the Rajya Sabha polls of Himachal Pradesh, a total of 68 MLAs voted.

    12.40 PM: Responding to the rumours of cross-voting Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh accused the BJP of using money power. “We will see when the results come out and face the situation. We will sail through, we have the majority,” she added. While, Himachal Pradesh minister & Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh said my conscience is clear.

    12.33 PM: On rumors of cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections, BJP Chief in Karnataka Assembly, Doddanagouda G. Patil says, “It is confirmed that ST Somashekar has cross-voted. We are discussing what can be done and what action to be taken.”

    12.24 PM: On Himachal Rajya Sabha elections, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said”…All our MLAs have voted for the elections. I hope they have all voted on the ideology of the party. We can only say anything once the results are declarred. ‘BJP mein antar-aatma naam ki chiz nahi hai, waha toh paisa antar-aatma chalta hai’…”

    12.14 PM: A number of cross votings were witnesses in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh during the ongoing Rajya Sabha polls. While SBSP MLA Jagdish Narayan, part of the BJP-led NDA alliance, voted for the Samajwadi Party, several SP MLAs voted for the BJP candidate. These MLAs include Manoj Pandey, Rakesh Pratap Singh and Pallavi Patel. In Karnataka, BJP MLA S. T. Somashekhar cross-voted in favour of the Congress. 

    12.05 PM: Reacting to the cross-voting, Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP manipulated and lured MLAs by hook and crook method. Yadav alleged that some MLAs were offered various incentives while some were threatened. “Not everybody has the guts to stand against the Government…pressure is put on everybody, is there anyone who doesn’t know that BJP would go to any extent to win. BJP was dishonest during Chandigarh elections also… When it comes to UP, BJP did everything to get votes and those who left, might not have had the guts to stand against the govt. Action will be taken because our party leaders want such people to be kept away from the party,” said Yadav.

    12.00 Noon: On Karnataka Rajya Sabha elections, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad said, “There will be no cross-voting. Congress candidates will get more votes than required. If people from some other party want to vote for us, then we won’t say no to it.”

    11.40 AM: Reacting to the BJP-JDS fielding additional candidate, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, “They (BJP) have also fielded candidate to win the elections, but for the 5th candidate they required 45 votes, do they have 45 votes? How will they win without numbers? Though they know that they don’t have numbers they fielded Kupendra Reddy and they tried to poach our MLAs, that’s why an FIR has been lodged against him. I’m sure all our 3 candidates are going to win.”

    Resort Politics In Karnataka

    Ruling Congress in Karnataka has relocated its MLAs to a hotel to safeguard them from external pressures. On Monday, the Congress shifted all its MLAs to a hotel, marking the beginning of the state’s trademark resort politics. All parties have issued whips to their MLAs ahead of today’s election. On Monday, Janardhan Reddy, Karnataka MLA and chief of Kalyana Karnataka Pragati Paksha, met CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar after he announced his support for Congress in the Rajya Sabha election. This further solidifies Congress’s winning chances. 

    While the Congress had a smooth path in securing four of Karnataka’s three seats due to its numerical strength, the BJP-Janata Dal Secular alliance complicated matters by nominating a second candidate. If there were four candidates, each would need 45 votes to win; however, in the case of additional candidates, preference votes would come into play. The Congress with 135 MLAs has the exact number to elect its three candidates, Ajay Maken, Nasir Hussain and G C Chandrashekhar.

    The entry of multi-millionaire real estate baron, D Kupendra Reddy, a Janata Dal (Secular)-BJP candidate has turned the elections to the fourth seat into a keen contest. Reddy, who declared Rs 1,200 crore assets in his election affidavit, has been fielded by the JD(S)-BJP combine. Reddy is confident that he will get the votes to win the election. Earlier, the Congress has complained that MLAs are being blackmailed to vote for Kupendra Reddy. A Congress delegation filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Police Commissioner. The BJP has 66 MLAs, which means it can easily get its main candidate, party worker Narayansa Bhandage, elected. Combined with the 19 JD(S) MLAs, the BJP-JDs second candidate Kupendra Reddy will need to get support of three Independents and get at least three Congress MLAs to cross-vote if he wants to win.

    Khela In Uttar Pradesh

    In Uttar Pradesh, the cross-voting fear has gripped the Samajwadi Party but the leading opposition party has maintained that all is well. According to Zee News TV sources, 8 to 10 of the Samajwadi Party MLAs may vote for the BJP alliance. The ruling BJP and SP had sufficient support to secure the unopposed election of seven and three members to the Rajya Sabha, respectively. However, the BJP escalated the competition by nominating Sanjay Seth, a former SP member and industrialist, as its eighth candidate. To secure an election, a candidate from the state requires approximately 37 first-preference votes.

    Ahead of voting, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hoped that all three candidates of his party will win despite the BJP’s tactics. “BJP will do everything possible for victory. Some of our leaders who want personal gains can go to the BJP,” said Yadav expressing apprehension of the cross-voting.

    The SP has put forward Jaya Bachchan, an actor-MP, retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, and Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman. This decision has reportedly caused a rift with ally Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel, who expressed disagreement with the choice of Bachchan and Ranjan and stated she would abstain from voting.

    Congress’s Whip To MLAs In Himachal 

    In Himachal Pradesh, the actions taken were not as extreme as in Karnataka. The party has warned its MLAs about the election of its lone Rajya Sabha seat.  The focal point of the Congress’ contest in the state is its senior leader, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, pitted against the BJP’s core committee member, Harsh Mahajan. The Congress enjoys a clear majority with 40 MLAs, while the BJP has 25 members. Three MLAs, including two BJP rebels, identify as independents. Sources indicate that the BJP is currently seeking to woo dissatisfied Congress MLAs. 

    41 MPs Elected Unopposed

    Elections were due for 56 Rajya Sabha seats but since 41 leaders were elected unopposed including former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Ashok Chavan, Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan, the elections are being held for 15 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

  • Karnataka Rajya Sabha Polls: Setback For Samajwadi Party In Uttar Pradesh? Resort Politics In Karnataka

    The ruling Congress has alleged that its MLAs are being blackmailed to vote for Kupendra Reddy. A Congress delegation filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Police Commissioner. 

  • Ranji Trophy 2023-24 Quarterfinals Vidarbha Vs Karnataka, Mumbai vs Andhra, TN vs Saurashtra, MP vs Baroda: LIVE Streaming Details, Schedule, Squads | cricket news

    The Ranji Trophy enters its crucial quarterfinal stage with eight teams vying for a spot in the semis. Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Vidarbha, Baroda, Saurashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra have emerged from a pool of 24 contenders, setting the stage for intense clashes.

    In the Mumbai vs Baroda encounter, Mumbai faces the challenge without Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube. However, bolstered by U-19 star Musheer Khan, Mumbai relies on Bhupen Lalwani’s form and Mohit Avasthi’s bowling prowess. Despite Baroda’s recent struggles, Mumbai remains the favourite, banking on Prithvi Shaw’s comeback.

    Vidarbha squares off against Karnataka, with Vidarbha missing Faiz Fazal but boosted by Akshay Wadkar and Karun Nair’s form. Aditya Sarwate and Aditya Thakare lead the bowling department. Karnataka, missing Devdutt Padikkal, looks to Manish Pandey and Sharath Srinivas for batting strength.

    Presenting the Quarter-finalists of the @IDFCFIRSTBank #RanjiTrophy _

    Which team are you rooting for _

    __ 23rd to 27th February_ @JioCinema__ https://t.co/pQRlXkCguc pic.twitter.com/0tByOrXvFz — BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 19, 2024

    Saurashtra, led by Cheteshwar Pujara, faces Tamil Nadu, with Dharmendrasinh Jadeja leading the bowling attack. Tamil Nadu relies on Narayan Jagadeesan and Baba Indrajith’s batting prowess, backed by spinners R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram.

    Madhya Pradesh confronts Andhra, with Ricky Bhui in stellar batting form for Andhra and Hanuma Vihari providing support. Venkatesh Iyer and Kumar Kartikeya lead MP’s batting lineup. Andhra enters the match unbeaten, while MP relies on home advantage.

    In these quarterfinal clashes, teams tread cautiously, aware that even the slightest misstep can lead to elimination. The battle for semifinal berths promises excitement and high stakes cricket across India.

    Ranji Trophy 2023-24 knockout schedule

    Quarterfinal 1: Vidarbha vs Karnataka – February 23-27, 2023 Venue: Civil Line Stadium, Nagpur

    Quarterfinal 2: Mumbai vs Baroda – February 23-27, 2023 Venue: BKC Ground, Mumbai

    Quarterfinal 3: Tamil Nadu vs Saurashtra – February 23-27, 2023 Venue: Sri Ramakrishnan College, Coimbatore

    Quarterfinal 4: Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra – February 23-27, 2023 Venue: Holkar Stadium, Indore

    Semifinal 1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4 – March 2-6, 2023 Venue: TBD

    Semifinal 2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF3 – March 2-6, 2023 Venue: TBD

    Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 – March 10-14, 2023 Venue: TBD

    Ranji Trophy Quarter-finals live streaming

    The Ranji Trophy 2023-24 quarterfinals will be streamed live on JioCinema app and its website.

    Ranji Trophy Quarter-finals: All teams and squads

    Karnataka Squad: Ravikumar Samarth, Mayank Agarwal(c), Nikin Jose, Hardik Raj, Manish Pandey, Srinivas Sharath(w), Vijaykumar Vyshak, Aneesh KV, Muralidhara Venkatesh, Shashi Kumar K, Vasuki Koushik, Dega Nischal, Prasidh Krishna, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Kishan Bedare, Shubhang Hegde, Sujay Sateri, Rohit Kumar

    Vidarbha Squad: Faiz Fazal, Dhruv Shorey, Atharva Taide, Karun Nair, Akshay Wadkar(w/c), Yash Rathod, Aditya Sarwate, Akshay Wakhare, Yash Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Aditya Thakare, Mohit Kale, Harsh Dubey, Lalit M Yadav. , Jitesh Sharma, Sanjay Raghunath, Rajneesh Gurbani, Siddhesh Wath, Darshan Nalkande, Shubham Dubey

    Mumbai Squad: Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Hardik Tamore(w), Ajinkya Rahane(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shivam Dube, Shams Mulani, Shardul Thakur, Tanush Kotian, Mohit Avasthi, Tushar Deshpande, Dhawal Kulkarni, Royston Dias, Jay Gokul. Bista, Atharva Ankolekar, Prasad Pawar, Amogh Bhatkal, Shreyas Iyer, Suved Parkar, Sylvester DSouza

    Baroda Squad: Jyotsnil Singh, Pratyush Kumar, Shashwat Rawat, Vishnu Solanki(c), Shivalik Sharma, Mitesh Patel(w), Abhimanyu Singh Rajput, Atit Sheth, Mahesh Pithiya, Bhargav Bhatt, Kinit Patel, Akash Maharaj Singh, Soyeb Sopariya, Shivang Sane, Ninad Rathva, Krunal Pandya, Babashafi Pathan, Lukman Meriwala

    Tamil Nadu Squad: Suresh Lokeshwar, N Jagadeesan(w), Pradosh Paul, Baba Indrajith, Mohamed Ali, Vijay Shankar, RS Mokit Hariharan, M Mohammed, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore(c), S Ajith Ram, Sandeep Warrier, T Natarajan, Trilok Nag, Kuldeep Sen, Vimal Khumar, Ajay Krishna, Boopathi Kumar, Sai Sudharsan, B Sachin

    Saurashtra Squad: Kevin Jivrajani, Harvik Desai(w), Sheldon Jackson, Cheteshwar Pujara, Arpit Vasavada(c), Prerak Mankad, Chirag Jani, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Parth Bhut, Chetan Sakariya, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Jaydev Unadkat, Snell Patel , Devang Karamta, Ankur Panwar, Aditya Jadeja

    Andhra Squad: Revanth Reddy, Maheep Kumar, Ashwin Hebbar, Hanuma Vihari, Ricky Bhui(w/c), Kirdant Karan Shinde, Shaik Rasheed, Shoaib Md Khan, Manish Golamaru, Girinath Reddy, Penmetsa Raju, Prasanth Kumar, Lalith Mohan, Cheepurapalli. Stephen, KV Sasikanth, Uppara Girinath, Prithvi Raj Yarra, CR Gnaneshwar, Nitish Reddy, Kuntrapakam Raj

    Madhya Pradesh Squad: Yash Dubey, Himanshu Mantri(w), Harsh Gawli, Shubham S Sharma(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Chouhan, Saransh Jain, Kumar Kartikeya, Anubhav Agarwal, Avesh Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Amarjeet Singh, Aditya Shrivastava, Mihir Hirwani, Aryan Pandey, Sumit Kushwah

  • Rajya Sabha polls: Congress may sequester its MLAs in resort

    The ruling Congress is said to be planning to sequester its 135 MLAs in a private resort ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for February 27 as the party leaders are worried over reports of its MLAs and independent members being approached by the NDA leaders.

    The presence of Kupendra Reddy, a wealthy businessman, as JDS candidate in the electoral fray has disturbed the peace of top Congress leaders, especially, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar.

    He had, on Monday, accused JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy of making “offers” to Congress MLAs to influence them to vote for his party candidate in the February 27 polls. The Congress has even filed a complaint with the Vidhana Soudha police accusing the Opposition parties of trying to lure its MLAs with offers of bribes for voting for the JDS candidate in the RS polls.

    Reddy has emerged as NDA’s surprise fifth candidate. If not for him, the four candidates would have won unopposed.

    The Congress is confident of securing the full support of its 135 MLAs, and three independents to get its three candidates through. There are only four RS vacancies in Karnataka, and the BJP and Congress have fielded one and three candidates, respectively. The JDS has maintained that it has fielded Reddy not to let the NDA’s surplus votes go waste. AICC leader Ajay Maken and sitting Rajya Sabha members GC Chandrashekar and Syed Naseer Hussain are contesting from the Congress while the BJP has fielded former MLC Narayansa Bhandage. A candidate needs 45 votes to win.

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