At crucial rally in Karnataka, Rahul attempts to unify Congress-JD(S) cadre

Lok Sabha 2019

The venue of the rally was chosen carefully, so as to relay the message to the cadres in three constituencies.

Theja Ram

Empty seats dotted the Krishnaraja Boys Junior College ground in Karnataka's Mysuru where top leaders of the Congress-JD(S) coalition were about to address a rally. "Rahul Gandhi is arriving, Rahul Gandhi is arriving. He's not too far away, he will come here to the people," a song specifically designed to showcase the poll promises of the Congress party was blaring through the speakers. This song, meant to be a metaphor, turned literal for the impatient crowd waiting at the venue on Saturday. It took some time for the chairs to get occupied. The event, supposed to start at about 5.30 pm, was delayed and began at 6.45 pm. While Gandhi was set to arrive at 5 pm, he finally reached at around 7 pm after he had addressed two more rallies in Karnataka, earlier in the day. This was a crucial meeting for the Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state. The leaders of both the Congress and JD(S) had gathered together to display unity amid rumours that the party workers of both political parties were not willing to work together. The rally was not just to pacify Congress workers in Mandya, it was also to pacify JD(S) workers in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar. Sitting on stage beside his arch-rival and political nemesis Siddaramaiah, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda was all smiles. “This is the ultimate test for us. Yes, Siddaramaiah and I were separated for a while. We had been close before. But now we have come together once more. This is because our country is facing a huge threat from the BJP. The extreme polarisation that is going on now is changing the dialogue from what matters,” Deve Gowda said, addressing the rally. “It may be true that Siddaramaiah and GT Devegowda have differences. But they are willing to let go and come together for the sake of this country. I urge the party workers to do the same,” he added. The JD(S) supremo added that the goal was to defeat Narendra Modi. “If by any misfortune, Modi becomes the Prime Minister again, he will destroy the Constitution created by Dr BR Ambedkar. I am begging you, please ensure that such a thing does not happen,” he said. Congress President Rahul Gandhi reiterated the message, saying, “This election is about justice versus injustice. Truth versus falsehoods. We stand for the truth,” Rahul Gandhi said. Gandhi then called upon workers of the JD(S) and the Congress to work together and use all their strength to back the three candidates – JD(S)’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is contesting from Mandya; CH Vijayashankar, who is contesting from Mysuru-Kodagu; and sitting MP Dhruva Narayana who is contesting from Chamarajanagar. “Congress and JD(S) workers are here. And on the stage, Congress leaders, as well as JD(S) leaders, are present. Together, we are standing against Modi, the BJP and the RSS. And all of our leaders and workers stand united and will defeat the BJP in Karnataka. Congress workers have to use all their strength to help this alliance win. Janata Dal workers have to rally together and help the alliance win. I want to tell the Congress workers, give all your support to the JD(S). Our aim is to defeat BJP and Narendra Modi,” said Rahul. In addition to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, former Karnataka Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar, senior leader and Kalaburagi MP Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, Primary Education Minister GT Devegowda and Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh were present at the event. The location of the rally was also crucial “KR Nagar is like a trident. Although it lies in Mysuru district, it belongs to the Mandya Lok Sabha segment and also shares a border with Chamarajanagar. This is an auspicious place,” Deve Gowda said, addressing the rally. KR Nagar is part of the Mandya constituency from which Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil K is making his electoral debut. Mandya, being part of the Vokkaliga heartland was supposed to be a cakewalk for the otherwise novice third-generation politician. However, it has turned out to be a tough contest with independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, widow of the late Rebel Star Ambareesh, getting the support from grassroots workers of the Congress party and the support from the BJP leadership across the state. All the three seats are part of the old Mysuru region, the only part on the state where the JD(S) has a strong grassroots presence. Here, the main fight over the years has been between the Congress and the JD(S), with BJP have little to zero significance. While an alliance have been forged from the top, on the ground, there is no understanding between the JD(S) and Congress workers, who were arch rivals till May 2018. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not been able to cut much ice in his attempt to change the minds of the Congress workers in Mandya, who have even risked suspension from the party. This rally, with Congress President himself asking the cadre of the two parties to work together, is being seen as the last-ditch attempt by the Congress leadership to maintain the coalition dharma in Mandya.

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'No bomb blast in Bengaluru in BJP rule': Modi talks national security in massive rally

Lok Sabha 2019

Modi publicly referenced to the Income tax raids held in Karnataka in the run-up to the elections.

Prajwal Bhat

When Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Bengaluru in November 2013, it came at a time the BJP had lost power in the Assembly elections in Karnataka, and the party was marred by corruption charges and the loss of BS Yeddyurappa who had walked out. In spite of this, the public address by Modi at Palace Grounds in 2013 drew lakhs of people and his popularity is an element BJP leaders have always believed can change their fortunes. Five years on, Modi once again addressed a massive crowd of people in the city, this time just a week away from the Lok Sabha elections in the state. In his speech, he attacked the Congress on issues of national security. "When the Congress government was in power, wasn't there a bomb blast in Bengaluru? The entire country was not safe to live in then and in five years of our rule, has there been a bomb blast? Who made this happen? (crowd shouts "Modi") This is not due to me but due to the power of your vote," he said in his characteristic style of prompting answers from the audience.  He further criticised the coalition government in power in the state and urged the crowd to vote decisively in favour of the BJP. "The people here voted a coalition government and what has happened? Look at the state of Karnataka now. There is a confusion on who the Chief Minister is and if Income Tax department questions them, they are not transparent. if they come to you won't you be transparent with them? Why should an elected representative be any different from a common man?" he further asked. This was the first time Modi publicly referenced to the income tax raids held in Karnataka in the run-up to the elections. Congress and JD(S) leaders protested against the raids and accused the central government of conducting politically motivated raids. He further took on the Congress' election promise of repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir. "In their manifesto, Congress has said it will revoke AFSPA which gives special powers to our brave soldiers. Did it not hurt you? Did it not anger you? Thousands of soldiers lost their lives for Kashmir and now they want to disarm our soldiers. They said that they will withdraw the army from Kashmir. Are you okay with it?" he asked. Modi also urged first-time voters to vote for the BJP, many of whom were in attendance. "We are here to register our support for Modi. Since he has come to power, there has been development and important milestones like demonetisation, surgical strike and Balakot strike. While I may not agree with all the decisions but I feel it has been largely good," says Abhishek, an engineer from Bengaluru who attended the rally.   The event scheduled to start at 4 pm was later shifted to 6:45 pm due to delays. BJP candidates from Bengaluru - Tejasvi Surya, Sadananda Gowda and PC Mohan - and state leaders including BS Yeddyurappa and R Ashoka also spoke on the occasion. Tejasvi, who is contesting from Bengaluru (South) constituency received loud cheers while he was speaking on stage. Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, who was widely tipped as the candidate from the same seat, was also present at the public address. Earlier in the day, Modi addressed a rally in Mangaluru in front of a similarly large crowd.  Thank you Mangaluru for the love and affection today. pic.twitter.com/zyvo6d10C3 — Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 13, 2019 Saturday's rallIes are part of seven rallies held by the Prime Minister in a span of ten days in Karnataka. He will be speaking at Belagavi and Chikkodi on April 18, the day of polls in southern Karnataka. The BJP is hopeful that Modi's presence in the last phase of campaigning in the state will swing the elections in their favour.  "We are targeting to win 22 seats in Karnataka this time around. We have the confidence to make this happen since we have a world leader like Modi that we can be proud of," BS Yeddyurappa said.

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Karnataka government's performance below average: Survey

Politics

IANS

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Performance of the Karnataka government was "below average" on voters' top three priorities - drinking water, employment and healthcare, said a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Saturday. "The Karnataka Survey 2018 shows that drinking water (50.42 per cent), better employment opportunities (39.75 per cent) and better hospitals/primary healthcare centres (32.86 per cent) are the voters' top three priorities in overall Karnataka," said ADR. The performance of the HD Kumaraswamy-led government on the issue of drinking water was 2.11 on a scale of 5 point, while better employment opportunities was 2.53 and better hospitals was 2.45.  In rural Karnataka, voters' top priorities were drinking water (49 per cent), availability of water for agriculture (44 per cent) and higher price realization for farm products (41 per cent). The performance of the government on rural voters' priorities of drinking water was 2.10 on a scale of 5 point, availability of water for agriculture was 1.9, higher price realization for farm products was 2.12. These were rated as below average. The ADR said that the government has performed poorly on agriculture subsidy for seeds and fertilizers and agricultural loan availability.  It further added that for the urban voters in Karnataka, the top most priorities were drinking water, better employment opportunities and better hospitals.  "The performance of the government on urban voters' priorities of drinking water (2.12 on a scale of 5), better employment opportunities (2.15), better hospitals/primary healthcare centres (2.07) was rated as below average," the report said. In addition, the government has performed poorly on providing better roads and electricity for domestic use.  The survey report provides an analysis of ten most important governance issues as rated by the voters of Karnataka. The ADR said that the survey covered approximately 14,000 respondents across all 28 parliamentary constituencies of Karnataka. The ADR had conducted a survey between October 2018 and December 2018, prior to the General Elections in which it covered 534 Lok Sabha constituencies with 2,73,487 voters participating in this exercise spread among various demographics. The three main objectives of this survey were to identify voters' priorities on specific governance issues, voters' ratings of the government's performance on those issues and factors affecting voting behaviour.

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BS Yeddyurappa’s former PA alleges threat to life from politician's current assistant

Crime

Earlier in 2017 too, NS Vinay had alleged that Santosh had issued threats to him and his family.

Soumya Chatterjee

In an embarrassment to Karnataka BJP, NS Vinay, former personal assistant (PA) of state president BS Yeddyurappa has once again alleged threat to him and his family from his current PA, NR Santosh. On Friday, Vinay sought police protection for himself and his family and submitted a petition to Amruthahalli Police. In his statement to the police, he said that he was being followed by suspicious persons. Vinay said he was under threat as he has incriminating evidence— a pen drive, CD and a diary that can impact the reputation of former CM Yeddyurappa. Officials at Amruthahalli police station asked him to approach Bengaluru City Police Commissioner as they do not have the authority to give protection. Meanwhile, police have registered a non-cognisable report. Speaking to TNM, Vinay said, “I will go meet the Police Commissioner on Monday and seek police protection from him. I will also submit all the documents and other evidence to the police or the court as suggested by police.” He however, refused to reveal what the documents contain.  Earlier in 2017 too, Vinay had alleged that Santosh had issued threats to him and his family. On May 11, 2017 an abduction attempt was reportedly made on Vinay by a few men near Bengaluru’s ISKCON temple in Mahalakshmi Layout police station limits. Following a complaint filed by Vinay to the Mahalakshmi Layout police, 11 people including Rajendra Urs, the general secretary of BJP Yuva Morcha city unit and history sheeter Prashant, were arrested by the police. All of them had named Santosh as the mastermind of the attempted abduction. Santosh was questioned by the ACP of Malleswaram Sub Division, Anand Badiger who is heading the investigations in this case. Even BS Yeddyurappa was summoned by police for questioning in connection with the case. Currently, Santosh has got a stay from the Karnataka High Court after he moved the court objecting to a probe by the Central Crime Branch. Incidentally, at that time Vinay was PA to KS Eshwarappa, the former protege-turned-foe of Yeddyurappa within the party. The friction between the two led to Eshwarappa forming a separate faction. The feud between the two ended after the intervention of the BJP High Command.      

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Karnataka PUC exam results for 2019 to be declared on Monday

Exams

Results will be announced at the Department of PU Education (DPUE) office at around 11am following which the results will be made available online for students.

TNM Staff

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The Karnataka state Pre-University Certification (PUC) exam results for 2019 will be declared by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board’s (KSEEB) Department of Pre-University Board Examination on Monday, April 15, at 12 noon. Students can check their results online at karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in. This is the first time that the results for the PUC examinations will be announced even before the Common Entrance Test (CET) has been completed. The CET will be held on April 29, 30 and May 1 this year after being postponed due to clash of dates with the Lok Sabha elections. Results will be announced at the Department of PU Education (DPUE) office at around 11am following which the results will be made available online for students. Colleges will subsequently publish the results on Tuesday, April 16. Karnataka II PUC examinations were held from March 1 to March 18. Around 6.6 lakh students reportedly attended the exam, with around 2500 not permitted to write due to attendance shortage. The average pass percentage for 2018 was 59.56% which was 7% higher than 2017’s pass average of 52.38%, with Dakshina Kannada district showing the highest pass rate of 91.49%. The districts of Chikkodi and Bidar had shown the lowest pass percentage rates. The highest marks were reported to be 597 out of 600 in the Science stream and 595 out of 600 in the Arts & Commerce stream. Over 2 lakh students had passed in first class, while around 50,000 students passed with distinction.

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Yeddyurappa to step down as K’taka BJP chief after polls? Hopefuls line up for post

Politics

BJP insiders say that Yeddyurappa's unsuccessful attempts in bringing down the coalition had left the high command unhappy.

Theja Ram

PTI/file photo

Over a week ago, former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa had told the media that he would step down from his post of BJP state President if the high command wished it. "I will step down from the state President post if the high command wishes it. But I will continue to serve as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly," Yeddyurappa had said.  Just a few days after he made the statement, a number of BJP leaders are now hoping to bag the post of the state President.  BJP insiders say that Yeddyurappa's unsuccessful attempts in bringing down the coalition had left the high command unhappy. In addition, the party's decisionmakers had begun mulling over bringing in a new leadership in Karnataka after the Lok Sabha polls.  "There is usually an organisational revamp once every three to four years and no office bearer is allowed to hold on to a post permanently. The change in Karnataka leadership is not something the party is thinking about right now since the elections are coming up but it should happen later in the year," the source added. Aspirants for the chair are now coming forwards and making their requests known to the high command. R Ashoka, a Vokkaliga leader from Bengaluru is trying hard to get the post, insiders say.  However, RSS strongman BL Santosh is said to have recommended Chikkamagalur MLA CT Ravi's name along with names of incumbent Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and local RSS strongman from coastal Karnataka - Sunil Kumar Karkala.  Yeddyurappa, who may vacate his post soon, is rooting for his close associate Umesh Katti's brother Ramesh Katti as he belongs to the Lingayat community. Also in line is Jagadish Shettar, former CM of Karnataka, who also belongs to the Lingayat community.  Several leaders in the party are also demanding that the high command pick a member from the Dalit community as the state President. Leaders Aravind Limbavali and Govind Karjol are also aspiring to obtain the state president's post.  "The high command is leaning towards installing a leader with strong RSS roots this time around. But the party also needs to keep in mind that installing a Brahmin candidate could send a wrong message to the party's vote base - the Lingayat community. Once the polls are done, the high command will look into the caste calculations and decide," the source added. 

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Lok Sabha 2019: Another election with inaccurate voters list in Bengaluru?

Lok Sabha 2019

Bengaluru has consistently seen a dismal voter turnout percentage, but many citizens say their names are deleted from electoral rolls without any explanation.

Soumya Chatterjee

Yamini Mazumdar, 88, was looking forward to vote like any other responsible citizen. But even though she has a voter ID,  she won’t be able to cast her vote this election. That’s because her name was removed from the voter roll by the Bengaluru civic body. Speaking to TNM, she claimed even though she had alerted election officials about the issue a month ago, there has been no rectification. “One month ago, I had found out that my name is not there on the voter list. When I asked my staff to go check with the officials, they found out that my domestic help and cook’s names are there, who live in the same house. The officials told them that, ‘I was not living here for three months,’ but this is totally untrue. I am 88, I don’t go out of town. I had been out just once for my granddaughter’s wedding for two days. How can they say I have been out of the country?” said Yamini, whose daughter is Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. She further said, “It is not that they have come to my house to check or something. How can they just remove somebody’s name? Nobody has come to my house to check. Since I was 21, I have voted in every election in whichever city I was in, be it Delhi, be it Baroda or be it Bengaluru. I have never missed even once. Even in a wheelchair, I have gone to vote. I am living in the same house for the last 15 years.” A top EC, however, official claimed that they had not received any complaint. “We have not got any representation from them at the CEO’s office. They might have gone to the BBMP. We have come to know of it only four days earlier. We have sought a report from BBMP. On the preliminary enquiry, BBMP has said that she was not staying there when ‘our people visited,’” Additional Chief Electoral Officer KN Ramesh told TNM. He added, “It is a case of deletion if our people find out that she is not residing in the address she has given. Secondly, the last date for including or deleting voters in the list was March 16, so there is no way we can do anything now. Anyway, we have sought a detailed report.” According to The Hindu, more than 5 lakh voters were deleted from the Bengaluru electoral rolls between May 2018 and January 2019, while only around 4 lakh new voter names were added. Officers can delete voter names from the rolls if the voter is no longer living at the registered address, if the voter has died or if the person is registered to vote elsewhere in the country or state. But Yamini seemingly isn’t alone in her plight as several others in Bengaluru are being denied the opportunity to vote. In February 2018, residents’ collective Whitefield Rising moved the Karnataka High Court after many of its members were rejected when they applied for voter ID cards, allegedly without any explanation. Salil Shetty, another Bengaluru resident who was recently denied a voter ID seemingly without reason impleaded himself in the case. Speaking to TNM, he said, “Despite applying well before the closing date and sending written and telephone complaints with the CEO Karnataka, BBMP officials and even fighting my case in a PIL in the High Court of Karnataka, I have been denied my constitutional right to vote in the LS election and the officials have gone scot-free. They have simply lied, even to the Chief Justice, that they have followed the due process.” Is Bengaluru really irresponsible? Every time Bengaluru goes to polls, reports of low voter turnout follow. Headlines such as ‘Bengaluru pulls down voting percentage of Karnataka’ are common. For example, in the 2018 Assembly Elections, Bengaluru (Urban) district recorded a dismal polling percentage of 54.72%, a drop from the 57.38% (in comparison to the statewide average of 72.13%). It’s widely assumed that Bengaluru’s low voter turnout stems from apathy and a lack of civic responsibility. But there is another side to the story, as activists claim that an inaccurate voter list and the Election Commission are the roots of the problems. And the problems can be various — omissions, deletions and duplications, among others. Crunching the numbers PG Bhat, a retired naval officer and software professional has been conducting elaborate studies on the electoral rolls across the country with a focus in Bengaluru and Delhi. He said the problems over the years have only increased, the most obvious being inflated electoral rolls. BBMP has stated that Bengaluru has a population of 1.25 crore, and according to the 2011 Census, 40% of Indians are below the age of 18, Bhat says. If the population is rounded up to 1.3 crore for calculation purposes, Bengaluru cannot have more than 78 lakh eligible voters in the city. “But the latest voter rolls say that we have more than 90 lakh voters,” he says. The Election Commission has stated voter turnout for the 2018 Assembly polls was 55%, but according to Bhat, “it is actually over 70 percent.” Bhat also added that, “There is the issue of photo voter slips. It is supposed to be given by the Election Commission to each voter but it is done by political parties. So if a voter does not have the slip, the booth officers often ask voters to get it from the political parties who may not have the updated voter rolls. And then going by that sometimes they are told that they do not have a  vote in that booth even if they do.”

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