Tag: Karnataka

Quota withdrawal for Muslims: Karnataka BJP upbeat despite SC rap

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Bengaluru: Though opposition parties are celebrating and criticising the BJP-led Karnataka government following a reprimand by the Supreme Court over the withdrawal of four per cent reservation quota for Muslims, the ruling BJP is upbeat about the turn of events.
The Supreme Court has recently observed that the ruling BJP government’s decision to withdraw four per cent reservation under the OBC category for Muslims appears to be “based on fallacious assumptions” and “was on a shaky foundation”.
The reservation quota has been increased for the influential Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities by two per cent each.

The Muslim community has been brought under the 10 per cent reservation provided for the economically weaker sections (EWS).
The ruling BJP government has announced new reservation along with internal reservation for SC/ST groups just before the end of its term. The opposition parties criticised the BJP for the hasty decision on revision of reservation structure.
State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar has openly challenged that it is a matter of days and when his party comes to power after elections, the revision of reservation would be withdrawn.
The opposition made it a major issue and slammed the BJP that the saffron party has insulted the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities by providing the reservation of Muslims to them.
Shivakumar had questioned that had the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities asked to withdraw the reservation of Muslims to increase their quota?

He alleged that it is being done as part of its policy of creating hatred between communities.
Sources in the state BJP unit said that the message has been passed on to the Hindus with the decision being made on withdrawal of reservation for Muslims.
The attacks on the BJP will only polarise the Hindu votes for the party, they added.
Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had earlier said that by shifting the four per cent reservation, there was no harm done to the Muslim community.
“Muslims have been brought under the EWS quota. There should not be any misunderstanding,” he added.
Yediyurappa also said that as it was not possible to provide reservation on the basis of religion, they (Muslims) are brought under the EWS quota.
The Central government is implementing “pro-poor” and “pro-farmer” schemes. If there are any differences they (Muslims) will be convinced, he added.
The Karnataka government has announced new reservation quota after the last cabinet meeting. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced a reservation of seven per cent to Lingayats, six per cent to Vokkaligas, six per cent for SC (Left), 5.5 per cent for SC (Right), one per cent for Bhovi, Banjaras and others.
Bommai had defended his government’s decision that “the religious minorities do not have reservation quota in seven states”. The decision has been taken to allot reservation for Muslims under the EWS quota.
He also added that the demand for a hike in the reservation had been pending for the last 30 years but the Congress did not do anything but made false promises. They had thought it would not be possible for the BJP to do it.
“We showed our commitment by getting a report, got the study done, constituted a cabinet sub-committee, and took a bold decision as per law.”
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#Quota #withdrawal #Muslims #Karnataka #BJP #upbeat #rap
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 16, 2023
Karnataka: Cong announces 3rd list of candidates, Laxman Savadi allotted ticket

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Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress on Saturday announced the third list of 43 candidates for the state assembly elections. Former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who joined Congress from BJP, has been allotted the ticket from Athani constituency in Belagavi district.
In the party’s third list, Laxman Savadi’s name appeared on the top.
Interestingly, the party has not announced the ticket for the Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency for which former chief minister and senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar has locked horns with the saffron party.

Sources explain that the Congress leaders have already approached and assured Shettar of their ticket and position if he joins Congress.
The party has named G.B. Malatesh as the candidate for the Shikaripura constituency from where former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Vijayendra is contesting.
Siddaramaiah’s loyalist Umashree has been denied a ticket from Terdal constituency from where Siddappa Ramappa Konnur has been fielded. Film producer Umapathy Srinivas Gowda has managed to obtain a ticket from Bommanahalli constituency in Bengaluru.
K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, who joined Congress from JD(S), has been allotted ticket for Arasikere constituency. The party has fielded Banavasi Rangaswamy from Hassan seat. Preetham Gowda is BJP’s candidate here and since this is the only seat in the district, the saffron party is in no mood to lose it.
The locals say that it is going to be a straight fight between BJP and JD(S) in Hassan.

Congress had announced 124 candidates in the first list and 42 candidates in the second list. It is yet to announce names for the 16 seats.
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#Karnataka #Cong #announces #3rd #list #candidates #Laxman #Savadi #allotted #ticket
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 15, 2023
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai files nomination from Shiggaon

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Haveri: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday filed his nominations as BJP’s candidate from the Shiggaon segment here for the May 10 Assembly polls and expressed confidence in getting elected again with the highest number of votes.
Bommai was accompanied by Public Works Minister C C Patil, Haveri-Gadag MP Shivakumar Udasi, and son Bharath Bommai among others as he submitted his papers to the Returning Officer.
Bommai, son of former Karnataka chief minister and Janata Parivar veteran late S R Bommai, has represented Shiggaon thrice since 2008.

With a saffron shawl on his shoulder, the 63-year-old Chief Minister visited Shiggaon’s ‘Dyamavva Devi’ temple, before filing his nomination.
“I have filed my nomination today. People of my Shiggaon constituency have supported me tremendously in the past and this time too, I’m confident of breaking all the records and getting elected with the highest number of votes.
People here are aware voters and they vote for development,” Bommai said after filing his nomination.
Pointing out that he had submitted his nomination papers as there was a good muhurta (time) today, Bommai added that he will be filing a nomination once again on April 19 in the presence of BJP national President J P Nadda and other senior leaders.
To a question that Congress was planning to field a strong candidate against him, the Chief Minister said, “Opponent is an opponent whether strong or weak, I will take everyone equally.

If there are opponents, only then there will be a contest. I’m confidence in the people of my constituency, who have supported me.”
Bommai won in Shiggaon in the 2018 Assembly polls by about 9,260 votes.
He started his political career with the Janata Dal, and was member of the Karnataka Legislative Council twice (in 1998 and 2004) from Dharwad local authorities constituency, and had also served as Parliament Secretary to Chief Minister and as Deputy Leader of Opposition.
He quit Janata Dal (United) and joined the BJP in 2008 and in the Assembly elections held later that year got elected as MLA from Shiggaon constituency in Haveri district.
He then went on to retain the seat in 2013 and 2018 Assembly polls.
Bommai, who served as Home Minister in the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government, became the Chief Minister in 2021 following the veteran leader stepping down from the post, citing age and making way for others as reasons.
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#Karnataka #Basavaraj #Bommai #files #nomination #Shiggaon
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 15, 2023
Karnataka BJP internal strife: Jagadish Shettar’s ticket issue on boil

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Hubballi: As the two-day deadline given by senior leader and former Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar to the BJP to announce his candidature from Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency for the Karnataka Assembly polls ends on Saturday, the leader is likely to declare his future move.
Shettar has called the meeting of his followers and clearly stated that if a ticket is not issued, he will take his decision.
Shettar is an influential leader in Kittur Karnataka region considered as a bastion of the saffron party.

He has been in active politics for four decades.
According to sources, the high command is asking him to retire from electoral politics on the lines of former ministers and senior leaders K.S. Eshwarappa, Halady Srinivas Shetty.
Shettar has stated that during the talks with the National BJP President J.P. Nadda he had asked him to issue the ticket to him in two days. “I will conduct a meeting of my followers and take their opinion. If the BJP party does not take a call, I will decide on a future course of action,” he stated.
The 16 members attached to Hubballi-Dharwad City Corporation had submitted resignations condemning the move of the high command.
Following the denial of ticket from Athani constituency in Belagavi district, former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi had resigned from the post of MLC and joined the Congress. The Congress has announced the ticket for him and assured that his respect and stature would be kept intact.

Savadi had stated that he will ask his followers not to take even his body anywhere near BJP’s office. The development is seen as a setback to the Karnataka BJP unit.
If BJP loses Shettar, it will seriously affect the party. The Congress is keeping its fingers crossed and keenly watching the development.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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#Karnataka #BJP #internal #strife #Jagadish #Shettars #ticket #issue #boil
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 15, 2023
CPI plans to fight Karnataka polls on its ‘ears of corn and sickle’ symbol

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New Delhi: The Communist Party of India, which recently lost its national party status, will contest the Karnataka election on its ‘ears of corn and sickle’ symbol, party MP Binoy Viswam said Friday.
The CPI was recognised as a ‘national party’ in 1989. It is the only political party to contest all general elections on the same electoral symbol and has maintained an uninterrupted presence in the Lok Sabha. It was the first non-Congress party to form government in any state and since then has been part of many governments.
To use its poll symbol in a state where it is not a recognised party, CPI will have to seek the Election Commission’s permission.

“In the Karnataka election, CPI will contest on the symbol ‘ears of corn and sickle’ that used to be the party’s election symbol ever since 1952… The CPI will strive hard to retain it,” Viswam said in a tweet.
While the CPI’s state party status has been withdrawn in West Bengal and Odisha, it continues to enjoy the status in Kerala, Manipur and Tamil Nadu.
The major advantage of a ‘national tag’ is that the party can have a common symbol across the country for its candidates thus making it easier for people to recognise it.
The nomination process for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly poll began on April 13 with April 20 being the last date to file the papers.

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#CPI #plans #fight #Karnataka #polls #ears #corn #sickle #symbol
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
Denied BJP ticket, former deputy CM Savadi joins Congress in poll-bound Karnataka

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Bengaluru: Former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, who announced his decision to resign from the primary membership of the BJP after being denied a ticket to contest in the May 10 Assembly elections, on Friday joined the Congress.
Savadi would now be the grand old party’s candidate in Athani in Belagavi district, Congress leaders said.
His decision came after a meeting with Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah and Congress general secretary and party in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala.

“Our meeting with Savadi took place in a cordial manner. We are aware of his dignity and position. He has agreed to become a member of our (Congress) family of his own volition. He is coming with us after accepting the party’s ideology and leadership,” Shivakumar, who was flanked by Savadi and Siddaramaiah, told reporters.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he was “saddened” by Savadi’s decision to part ways with the BJP and join the Congress.
“…I’m feeling very sad, we shared a close bond. Sometimes such political situations arise,” Bommai said. “He might have found his political future in Congress. We will do our job in our party.” .
Savadi, who resigned as an MLC on Friday, said he had been loyal to the BJP and helped the party candidates win in other parts of the state as well, but it did not live up to its promise of fielding him in the 2023 Assembly election from Athani.
On his decision to join the Congress, Savadi, a three-time MLA from Athani, said he had only demanded a ticket to contest the elections, besides completion of some irrigation projects in his constituency that are pending, in the event of the Congress coming to power..

Ignoring Savadi’s request, the BJP had earlier this week given the Athani ticket to sitting MLA Mahesh Kumathalli. Savadi had lost the 2018 elections to Kumathalli, who was then with the Congress.
Kumathalli was among the group of defectors who helped the BJP bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and form its own government under the leadership of B S Yediyurappa in 2019.
Kumathalli later joined the BJP and successfully contested the Athani by-election on the party ticket.
Attacking the BJP, Savadi said he had not demanded the deputy chief minister’s post from the ruling party in 2019 but they had given it to him and thereafter removed him from the position without informing him, which he perceived as an insult.
“After losing the election (in 2018), I was made an MLC and then the deputy chief minister. But later they removed me. Why did they make me a minister and then remove me,” he asked.
Replying to a question, he said the BJP should answer why he was denied a ticket to contest in the May 10 Assembly elections.
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#Denied #BJP #ticket #deputy #Savadi #joins #Congress #pollbound #Karnataka
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
Karnataka: Rebels creating stir in BJP camp ahead of polls

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Bengaluru: With rebels giving a headache to the BJP in Karnataka ahead of the May 10 Assembly election, the party has given the responsibility of assuaging the dissidence to former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, state unit BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Lakshman Savadi in the Yediyurappa-led Cabinet has recently quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the Congress.
Reacting to this, BJP in-charge for Karnataka polls, Arun Singh, on Friday said Savadi will not have any future in the Congress party.

“He has committed a blunder by joining Congress. He will repent,” Singh said.
“The doors would be permanently closed for those who deserted the party. It might take 20 years for the party to accept them back. His decision is selfish,” Arun Singh has stated.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he was sad as Savadi saw a political future with the Congress.
Talking to reporters here on Friday, he said “it is common that there will be more aspirants in the ruling party. The party workers are with them”.
“The BJP will win the coming Assembly election with a thumping majority. Some of them have quit the party to become MLAs but the BJP workers are with them,” Bommai said.

The chief minister said the second list of candidates has already been released and the third list will be out soon. He will be filing his nomination papers in Shiggaon on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Mine, Coal and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi has stated that he is confident of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar getting a ticket.
The matter has been discussed with the national president and everything will end well, he said.
“The BJP won’t give tickets to fathers and sons like Congress. There were many candidates in the BJP party and this has led to confusion. The winning party will have more demand. In another two days, these confusions will end,” Joshi said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka unit Congress president D.K. Shivakumar said that 25 leaders of the BJP and the JD-S will join the Congress in the coming days.
“BJP will only win 60 seats and JD-S will not get more than 24 seats. The Congress is going to win 141 seats,” he said.
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#Karnataka #Rebels #creating #stir #BJP #camp #ahead #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
Disgruntled BJP leader Laxman Savadi meets Karnataka Congress leaders

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Bengaluru: BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi on Friday met several Congress leaders here confirming the rumours that he will be jumping ship soon.
He met the Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, state President DK Shivakumar and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah.
Savadi was denied a ticket by the BJP from the Athani constituency in Belagavi. Instead, Mahesh Kumatalli, who joined the BJP through ‘Operation Lotus’, has been allotted the ticket. Savadi claimed that the party has done injustice to him, and also said that he was not contacted by any leader from New Delhi.

He arrived in Bengaluru on a special flight booked by Shivakumar along with Congress MLC Channaraj Hattiholi. Lakshman Savadi has maintained that he is not meeting any of the BJP leaders in Bengaluru.
Lakshman Savadi maintained that he is holding talks with Congress leaders and sharing his thoughts with them. Randeep Singh Surjewala stated that no decision has been taken yet on the matter of Lakshman Savadi joining the Congress
“The discussion is ongoing. It is a social call. Lakshman is a seasoned politician in the state,” he added.
Lakshmi Hebbalkar, the Congress MLA from Belagavi Rural constituency has stated that Lakshman Savadi is a seasoned politician, who was in the top post in BJP government and his entry to Congress would strengthen the party.
According to sources in Congress, Shivakumar is planning to utilize the opportunity to deliver blows to his political opponent BJP leader from Belagavi, Ramesh Jarkiholi. The development is likely to strengthen the Congress to win more seats in Belagavi district which has 18 seats.

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#Disgruntled #BJP #leader #Laxman #Savadi #meets #Karnataka #Congress #leaders
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
DK Shivakumar distributes ‘B’ form to Congress candidates for Karnataka polls

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Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Thursday distributed the ‘B’ form to the party candidates ahead of their filing nomination for the state assembly elections.
The Congress declared 124 candidates in its first list and another 42 candidates in the second list of 224 seats on which elections will be held on May 10. The counting of votes will take place on May 13.
Form B is a nomination paper for contesting assembly polls. The party is expected to announce remaining candidates soon.

With the Karnataka Assembly polls drawing near, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday appointed a fifth working president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.
While Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar is the KPCC president, the party already has 4 other working presidents – Ramalinga Reddy, Eshwar Khandre, Saleem Ahmed and Satish Jarkiholi. BN Chandrappa has been appointed a new working president.
Chandrappa was elected a Lok Sabha member from Chitradurga in 2014.
The ruling BJP currently holds a majority in the Assembly with 119 seats while the Congress and the JD(S) have 75 and 28 seats respectively.
All three key political players in the state — BJP, Congress and the JD(S) — have been exchanging barbs with the poll campaign picking up momentum.

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#Shivakumar #distributes #form #Congress #candidates #Karnataka #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
Dissidence in Karnataka BJP will end soon, says Bommai

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Dakshina Kannada: Senior BJP leaders are talking with the dissatisfied leaders and dissidence will end soon, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday.
He told reporters here that with the second list of candidates released, candidates need to be announced for the remaining 12 Assembly seats.
On various leaders who quit the BJP, Bommai said changing the parties has become very common in politics.

“The dissatisfied leaders were convinced. Whatever dissatisfaction prevailing in the party will be addressed soon. The party workers are strong due to which there will not be much damage. The dissidence in most parts of the districts will end soon,” he said.
The CM said he was talking with seniors and the party’s high command. Former Deputy Chief Sinister Lakshman Savadi must protect the faith of the people, he said, adding There was no truth in the allegations made by MLA Nehru Olekar.
Replying to a question, Bommai said the high command has been talking to the dissatisfied leaders and he also had held talks with them.
“The dissidence will be resolved soon. Savadi is a senior leader and has been in politics for a long time. There is pressure on Savadi from the people but it requires time.
“Let Nehru Olekar makes any allegations but he must do it with evidence regarding Rs 1,500 crore scam charges. No point in a mere statement… let him give documents to justify his charges.”

Bommai also claimed that the Congress will not come to power as it did not have the candidates for nearly 60 to 65 constituencies and “so they are into importing the candidates of other parties”.
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#Dissidence #Karnataka #BJP #Bommai
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023