7 rallies in 10 days: K’taka BJP believes PM Modi’s campaign will give final boost

Lok Sabha 2019

In the 2018 Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaigning was credited as the catalyst in improving the BJP’s tally in Karnataka from 40 to 104.

Prajwal Bhat

A year ago, in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly Elections, the BJP, in a late switch, decided to increase the number of rallies addressed by Prime Minister Modi from 15 to 21. PM Modi's blitzkrieg run of addresses across the state was attended by lakhs of residents and was seen as the catalyst for the BJP improving its tally from 40 seats to 104 in the Karnataka Assembly. Ultimately though, it was not enough to help the BJP form the government in the state. A year later in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party is looking to repeat the trick and hope that their fortunes in the state improve. On Monday, two rallies addressed by Modi in different parts of the state - in Mysuru and Chitradurga - drew large crowds with thousands chanting ‘Modi, Modi’ as he spoke on stage. This was a carbon copy of what was witnessed in the last phase of campaigning ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly Elections. "This has been the case since the rally held in Benegaluru's Palace Grounds in November 2013. Modi has become a household name and a big factor in Karnataka since then," Malavika Avinash, a BJP spokesperson said. The rallies held in Chitradurga and Mysuru were the first two of seven public rallies Modi is scheduled to address in the state in ten days. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address rallies in Koppal on April 12, Mangaluru and Bengaluru on April 13. With Koppal, the BJP hopes to reach Raichur, Ballari and Haveri. This will be followed by two more rallies in northern Karnataka in Bagalkot and Chikkodi on April 18.  Through these rallies, the BJP plans to target the Hyderabad-Karnataka and Mumbai-Karnataka regions, with the party hoping the Prime Minister’s presence in Bagalkot will have a ripple effect in areas such as Bijapur, and Hubli, while the Chikkodi campaign will cover Belgaum and Chikkodi.   The last two rallies coincide with the first phase of voting in the state's southern districts. He also addressed two rallies - in Hubballi on February 6 and in Gulbarga on March 10 - before the elections were announced.  Political observers in the state also believe that Modi's ground presence is crucial for the BJP in Karnataka.  “In places, where Modi addresses rallies, there is a high possibility of 3-5% additional swing in favour of the BJP. Because even during the Assembly Elections, the BJP according to multiple estimates was touted to win 90 seats. But in the last few days, the rallies he addressed changed the BJP’s fortunes. The party ended up winning 104 seats, and there were at least 10 more seats the BJP missed by a whisker,” Mahadev Prakash, a political analyst explained. In the run-up to the State Assembly Elections, the presence of Modi was credited as the catalyst in improving the BJP's tally in the state from 40 to 104. Modi extensively campaigned in the state addressing 21 rallies which was 6 more than the 15 BJP had initially planned for the Prime Minister.  Speaking at the rally in Chitradurga, Modi claimed that every vote for the BJP was a vote for him to serve the people again over the next five years. "When you go to the polling booth and press the lotus button to vote for the BJP that vote will be for me and make me stronger to work for the country," Modi said. His statement comes at a time several BJP MP candidates in the state are building their election campaign on the achievements of the Modi-led central government. "We are proudly admitting that this election campaign is based on Modi and the larger interest of the country. The issues being highlighted are national security, reducing corruption and development of the country. We take a lot of pride in telling what Modi has done in five years in various rallies," Malavika added.  The same was reiterated by Dakshina Kannada BJP candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel. "We are trying to take forward Narendra Modi’s development of India for the last five years and there is a need to protect the country at this time," he said speaking to TNM. He is among 15 MPs from the party seeking re-election from Karnataka. The 'Modi effect' is a campaign motto echoed by BJP leaders across the state who are hopeful that the feat performed by the PM in 2018 is repeated in the Lok Sabha Elections and that the BJP is able to secure more than 20 of the 28 seats in the state. The venues of the rallies have also been decided to ensure that Modi has maximum outreach with voters in the state. It remains to be seen whether the presence of Modi will play a crucial role in convincing voters in the state in the face of the coalition's campaign to wrest a higher number of seats this year.

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Kodagu forest officials rescue 5 elephants stuck overnight in water reservoir

Wildlife

The incident comes less than a week after an elephant was shot dead by unknown assailants in the same area.

Mubarak

In a rescue operation which lasted nearly four hours, forest officials in Kodagu district rescued five elephants stuck in a water reservoir in Palangala village in Virajpet taluk of the district. The herd of elephants was spotted on Tuesday night as they were passing through a coffee plantation near Palangala. "We presume the herd arrived at the pond in search of water. However, in the process they must have fallen into the water," Regional Forest Officer (RFO) Gopal said. According to the RFO, the reservoir was dug up by farmers during the summer to water the coffee plantation. "Due to darkness, the herd must have fallen into the pond," he added. Forest officials reached the spot at around 8 am on Wednesday morning after being alerted by Mittu Aiyappa, a coffee grower in Palangala. However, the operation was delayed due to the late arrival of the earthmover machine. While one group of rescue officials carved a way out of the pond using an excavator machine, another group burst crackers to scare the animal in the direction of the forest area. "Eventually, around 11.30am we were able to rescue all the mammals from the water body, " RFO said.  According to officials, shortage of rain in the region and scarcity of grazing forest area has increased the human-animal conflict especially in Palangala. Over the last few years, forest officials have attempted to dig trenches, set up solar and iron fences, spike pillars, among the solutions to resolve the human-animal conflict in Kodagu. However, the issue continues to persist. Over the years, forest officials have attempted digging elephant trenches, setting up solar fencing, iron fencing, spike pillars among other solutions to resolve this problem. While locals along with officials have recently rescued about nine elephants in the last month from water reservoirs, one elephant was shot-dead by unidentified assailants. The elephant was shot dead last Thursday in the same village by unidentified assailants and forest officials are investigating the case. Also read: Elephant shot dead in Kodagu village, shooter absconding Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)

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T-shirt logo helps Bengaluru police arrest 3 accused of murder

Crime

The cops identified a distinct logo printed on the t-shirt of one of the accused.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru city police arrested 3 individuals, accused of murdering a 46-year-old daily wage labourer, by identifying a distinct logo which one of the culprits had on the t-shirt he was wearing. The three accused, identified as Lokesh (21), Sevaraj (19) and Sunil (20) reportedly saw the victim, Sathyasheelan, carrying two sachets of whiskey. When attempting to steal the sachets away from him, they stabbed him in the back with a knife, after the victim put up a fight. Sathyasheelan fell down near a roadside garbage dump and died. The incident took place on March 25 in Bengaluru’s Cox Town neighbourhood. Following the incident, Pulikeshinagar police were alerted by residents in the area who initially assumed the victim was drunk and passed out on the road. While police initially suspected that the man had died after a fatal fall, post mortem reports revealed a stab injury on his chest. This led cops to probe the incident further. “The autopsy report from Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital said Satyasheelan died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of the stab injury on the back of his chest. A case of suspicious death was registered and we formed a team led by inspector Firoz Mohammed. They cracked the case and arrested the accused,” said DCP (east) Rahulkumar Shahapurwad to TOI. One of the accused was wearing a white t-shirt with an ‘L’ printed on it. This was visible in the CCTV footage which the cops were looking through and using this clue, they were able to track down the culprits. According to reports, police officials were able to locate the accused, who were hiding in a graveyard, after gathering necessary basic information from the CCTV footage. When police tracked down the accused, they confessed to the crime. The knife used to commit the crime was also retrieved. The accused have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

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From abortion to immigration, things you didn’t know were in Medicare for All

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Sanders unveils revamped 'Medicare for All' plan

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Rejected 11 times before getting voter ID, B’luru trans woman to vote for first time

Lok Sabha 2019

Riyanna, who finally received her voter ID card on Tuesday, will be one among several members of the transgender community who will be voting for the first time.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

As the entire nation gears up for the Lok Sabha Elections, 22-year-old Riyanna from Bengaluru is all smiles as she is set to cast her vote for the very first time. “I have been applying for a voter ID card for the past three years. After having my application rejected 11 times, I have finally got it now,” she says. Riyanna, who finally received her voter ID card on Tuesday, will be one among several members of the transgender community in India who will be voting in a major election for the first time. Riyanna says she applied for the voter ID when she turned 18 but was rejected 11 times until she finally got it recently. “Getting the voter ID itself was so difficult for me because my application was rejected because of confusion. Despite being a citizen in the country, it was so difficult for me to get the ID because I am a member of the transgender community. But that is all the more reason that it is important for more people from the community to vote,” says Riyanna. The 22-year-old resident of Bengaluru will be voting from the Bengaluru Central on polling day. As she recounts the stress of obtaining a voter ID card, she emphasizes how crucial it is that everyone votes. “Something as simple as applying for a voter card becomes so difficult and complicated when you are from the transgender community. After having my application rejected so many times, I finally approached the Shantinagar MLA and told him about the difficulty I was facing in obtaining the voter ID. It was with his help that I was ultimately able to get my voter card,” she says, adding that this is why she feels it is important to have government representatives who are sensitive to the problems faced by transgender people. There are three major issues Riyanna feels need to be addressed for the betterment of transgender people in society: shelter, education and medical insurance. “I am one of the lucky ones, I get to stay at home with my family and I have a job. But what about the people who have been kicked out of their homes and have no place to go or no one to support them? It is crucial that the government helps to provide shelter for trans persons who require it,” she says. Riyanna also stresses that equal education opportunities be provided by the government to members of the transgender community, which she feels is how they will also be able to contribute to the betterment of society. “Not just that, but we also face a lot of difficulty when seeking healthcare. The government should take the responsibility of ensuring that all transgender people are covered with medical insurance.” 

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SC Collegium recommends Justice AS Oka as new Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court

Courts

Justice AS Oka is currently the senior-most judge in the Bombay High Court.

TNM Staff

The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday recommended the name of senior Bombay High Court judge Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka to be the new Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.   In an official resolution dated April 8, the three most senior judges of Supreme Court which constitute the Collegium, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, and Justices SA Bobde and NV Ramana, said, “Mr Justice AS Oka is the senior-most judge from Bombay High Court and is functioning in that High Court since his elevation. Having regard to all relevant factors, the Collegium finds Mr Justice AS Oka suitable in all respects for being appointed as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. The Collegium resolves to recommend accordingly." It added, “While making the above recommendation the Collegium is conscious of the fact that consequent upon the proposed appointment, there will be two Chief Justices from Bombay High Court which is the second largest High Court in the country with a sanctioned strength of 94 Judges.” The appointment of a new Chief Justice was necessitated as Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, the erstwhile Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, was elevated as a Supreme Court judge in January. Currently, Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy is the Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka HC since January 17 following a Union Law Ministry notification stating the same. Along with Karnataka, the new Chief Justices of Rajasthan, Kerala, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh HCs were recommended. A Live Law profile on Justice Oka states, “A glance of some judgments authored by Justice Oka undoubtedly reveals that he is a judge with a liberal outlook, who gives weightage to civil liberties over powers of the state.” He has given many landmark judgements including those revolving around noise pollution, the rights of atheists and the right to give “no religion” as an option in government application forms, a judgement striking down the beef ban in Maharashtra and encouraging prison reforms, among others. According to the Bombay HC’s official website, born on May 25, 1960, Justice Oka started practising as an advocate in Thane district court in June, 1983 after completing his BSc, LLM from University of Bombay. He later joined the chamber of VP Tipnis, a former Judge of the Bombay High Court and former Lokayukta. He was elevated as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in August 2003 and later as a permanent Judge in November 2005.

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