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Congress will win at least 141 seats, BJP will be down to less than 60: D K Shivakumar

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New Delhi: Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar on Saturday exuded confidence that his party would win at least 141 seats in the May 10 assembly polls and asserted that he would abide by whatever the party decides on the issue of chief ministership.
Voting for the 224 assembly seats in the state will take place on May 10 and the results will be out on May 13.
In an interview with PTI, Shivakumar said the Congress will get a comfortable majority in Karnataka and the win would open the doors for the Lok Sabha elections as the party’s victory in the state in 1978 had done.

The Karnataka Congress chief lashed out at the BJP for raising issues such as the Uniform Civil Code and the National Register of Citizens in its manifesto for the assembly polls, saying it shows their “bankruptcy” of ideas and vision for the state.
He also claimed that since the BJP has no agenda and vision for Karnataka, the “Modi factor” will not work in the assembly polls this time.
Shivakumar, who is a leading aspirant for the chief minister’s post along with former chief minister Siddarammaiah in case the Congress comes to power, said all stories of infighting in the party are created by the media and there is no truth in them.
“The fact is that the Congress leadership is united and the party workers are very active in spreading our message both on the ground and in social media. We are putting a combined effort to ensure that the Congress comes back to power with a clear majority,” he asserted.
On him being a strong contender for the post of chief minister, Shivakumar said his first priority was to ensure that the party wins a majority in Karnataka.

“For the last three years, the Congress has been working on the ground starting from the ‘Vaccinate Karnataka’ campaign, to the ‘100 Not Out’ campaign followed by the ‘Mekedatu’ Campaign to the ‘Freedom March’ and registering 78 lakh members of the Congress. Then we made the Bharat Jodo Yatra a grand success in Karnataka,” he said.
Congress leaders and workers have not taken rest for a single day in the last three years, he said, adding that whatever is being seen now is the faith of people that the party’s hard work has won.
“For me, the party comes first and the chief ministership comes later. On the CM issue, I will abide by whatever the party decides,” Shivakumar said.
Asked about the controversy surrounding the Congress manifesto talking about taking decisive action according to law, including imposing a ban on organisations such as the Popular Front of India and the Bajrang Dal, he alleged that the BJP was trying to divide society.
“The BJP government could not provide jobs to our youth. They failed to provide any relief to the common man when it came to inflation and price rise. Now they are trying to divide the society by inflammatory speeches,” he alleged.
This will not work in Karnataka and people will sweep them aside, he claimed.
Asked about Karnataka being the gateway to the south for the BJP, Shivakumar said the people of the state have “closed the gate on the BJP’s face because of non-performance, corruption and large-scale unemployment in the state”.
People are supporting Congress in a big way and the party is coming back to power, the Karnatala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president claimed.
Asked about the BJP in its election manifesto promising to implement the Uniform Civil Code and the National Register of Citizens in Karnataka if it retains power in the state, Shivakumar said this is precisely the problem of the BJP.
They do not understand Karnataka and its people, the Congress leader alleged.
“Karnataka assembly elections are being fought on local issues. The BJP, which could not deliver on any front during its governance, has also failed to give a narrative in these elections. This shows their bankruptcy of ideas and vision for the state,” he said.
Asked about Prime Minister Modi raising the issue of abuses hurled at him, the Congress leader said the people of Karnataka are very civilized and they do not believe in using and even responding to crude language.
The Congress too does not believe in using abusive language. It is the BJP that has mastered the art of twisting the statements and manipulating the people, he alleged.
On whether the Modi factor will work this time, Shivakumar said the Congress is fighting these elections on a progressive and development-based agenda.
“We will provide Rs 2,000 per month to every woman head of the family, 200 units of free power to every household apart from free bus travel for women in KSRTC/BMTC buses and a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates.
“As I said, the BJP has no agenda and vision for the state and people can very well see this. So the Modi factor will not work this time in these assembly polls,” he said.
Asked about the number of seats the Congress would get, Shivakumar said, “We will win at least 141 seats and form a government with a comfortable majority. The BJP will be reduced to less than 60 (seats).”
On the message that would be sent out through the Karnataka polls for the 2024 general election, he said Karnataka was just the beginning.
“We are comfortably winning Karnataka elections and it will open the doors for the Lok Sabha elections. Karnataka people will give a message to the country. Earlier also at the time of Devraj Urs (former chief minister), when the Janata Party was in power at the national level in 1978, Karnataka had opened the door for Congress. Now again, Karnataka will play its role,” he said.
“We will form a government in Karnataka in 2023 and in the country in 2024,” said Shivakumar, who is contesting from Kanakapura
Seven-time MLA Shivakumar has been elected thrice from Kanakapura since 2008 and is now seeking reelection for the fourth time from there.
He had earlier won four consecutive elections since 1989 from the nearby Sathanur till he shifted to the Kanakapura in 2008 after that constituency ceased to exist as the result of a delimitation exercise.
In the 2018 elections, Shivakumar secured 1,27,552 votes, defeating Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Narayana Gowda (47,643) by 79,909 votes.
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#Congress #win #seats #BJP #Shivakumar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
Russia accused of using phosphorus bombs in Ukraine war

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Kiev: Ukraine has accused Russia of attacking the besieged city of Bakhmut with phosphorus munitions, a media report said.
In drone footage released by Ukraine’s military, Bakhmut can be seen ablaze as what appears to be white phosphorus rains down on the city, BBC reported.
White phosphorus weapons are not banned, but their use in civilian areas is considered a war crime. They create fast-spreading fires that are very difficult to put out. Russia has been accused of using them before as well.

Russia has been trying to capture Bakhmut for months, despite its questionable strategic value. Western officials have estimated that thousands of Moscow’s troops have died in the assault.
Taking to Twitter, Ukraine’s defence ministry said the phosphorus attack targeted “unoccupied areas of Bakhmut with incendiary ammunition”.
Kiev’s special forces command added that Moscow’s forces continued “to destroy the city”.
It is unclear when exactly the alleged attack took place. But the footage shared by Ukraine – seemingly captured by a surveillance drone – showed high-rise buildings engulfed in flames, BBC reported.
Other videos posted to social media showed fires raging on the ground and white clouds of phosphorus illuminating the night sky.

Russia has been accused of using white phosphorus several times since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, including during the siege of Mariupol at the beginning of the war.
Moscow has never publicly admitted to using white phosphorus, and last year Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov insisted that “Russia has never violated international conventions” after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said it had been used.
White phosphorus is a wax-like substance which ignites on contact with oxygen, creating bright plumes of smoke, BBC reported.
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#Russia #accused #phosphorus #bombs #Ukraine #war
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
Opinion poll shows Modi remains charismatic and popular in poll-bound Karnataka

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New Delhi: The final round of an exclusive opinion poll on the Karnataka Assembly elections conducted across the state conducted by C-Voter for ABP News reveals that Prime Minister Narendra Modi retains his charisma and popularity among the voters of the southern state.
While the poll still puts the Congress in the pole position, hectic and energetic campaigning by Modi during the last leg of vote seeking has improved the fortunes of the BJP.
In the opinion polls for the Assembly elections conducted during March and April, the BJP appeared quite far behind the Congress, both in terms of vote share and number of seats. But an intense last leg of campaigning by the Prime Minister has now ensured that the projected vote share of the BJP doesn’t drop below 36 per cent, the same it had garnered in the 2018 Assembly elections.

Even BJP’s projected seat tally is now better than the numbers thrown up in March and April. In fact, in the Greater Bengaluru region, which elects 32 MLAs, the improvement is dramatic. From trailing behind the Congress earlier, the BJP seems to have turned the tables somewhat and is now projected to inch ahead of its rival in the projected seat tally.
While this last-minute effort by Modi may not be enough to help the BJP retain the state (Karnataka has a long history of changing governments), it augurs well for the party ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, while the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, it was nine short of a simple majority and a post-poll arrangement between the Congress and the JD(S) saw them form the government.
In the Lok Sabha elections a year after that, the BJP and candidates won 26 of the 28 seats in the state. A similar pattern was seen in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan about five years ago. The BJP lost the Assembly elections in all the three states in 2018, but swept all three in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The 224-member Karnataka Assembly will go to the polls on May 10, and the results will be declared on May 13.

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#Opinion #poll #shows #Modi #remains #charismatic #popular #pollbound #Karnataka
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
Survey shows Congress still in the lead in Karnataka

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New Delhi: The final opinion poll for the Karnataka Assembly elections conducted by C-Voter for ABP News indicates that the Congress is still in the pole position though the BJP seems to have closed the earlier gap in the last leg of campaigning.
A detailed analysis of the poll data across demographics and other categories in the major regions of the state suggests that the Congress is likely to win between 110 and 122 seats in the May 10 elections. The Karnataka Assembly has 224 members and a tally of 113 is required to form a simple majority government.
The party is projected to get 40.2 per cent of the vote share, up 2.2 per cent from what it managed in the previous Assembly elections in 2018. The BJP, which currently has a government in the state, is projected to win between 73 and 85 seats. In 2018, the saffron party had won 104 seats.

Interestingly, BJP’s vote share is projected to remain the same at 36 per cent. Compared to the earlier rounds of the C-Voter poll, this is an improvement both in terms of seats and vote share.
The JD(S) is projected to win between 21 and 29 seats. In 2018, it had won 37 seats. The projected vote share for the JD(S) in 16.1 per cent, down almost 2 per cent compared to the 2018 elections.
Barring the Greater Bengaluru region, which sends 32 MLAs to the Karnataka Assembly, the Congress is projected to win more seats than the BJP in all the other regions of the state.
Interestingly, the BJP is projected to substantially increase its vote share in the Old Mysuru region, a stronghold of the JD(S), from 17 per cent in 2018 to more than 25 per cent this time.
But this seems to be resulting in a triangular fight which is helping the Congress.

Elections are scheduled in a single phase on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.
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#Survey #shows #Congress #lead #Karnataka
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
Sarpanch’s husband held for posting obscene pics of ex-girlfriend

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New Delhi: The husband of a village sarpanch was apprehended for allegedly posting obscene pictures of his ex-girlfriend on social media after she broke up with him, police said on Saturday.
The accused has been identified as 33-year-old Akhilesh Kumar, a resident of Bhind in Madhya Pradesh, they said, adding that he was previously involved in a case of IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty).
Kumar wanted to take revenge as his girlfriend broke up with him and was scheduled to get married later this month, they said.

“A case was registered against Kumar following a complaint by the 25-year-old victim. A team under the supervision of SHO (cyber north) Pawan Tomar was formed to crack the case,” a police officer said.
According to police, Kumar used to work as a driver in Delhi. His wife was elected sarpanch in Bhind and she moved there three years ago. He then befriended the complainant and they entered into a relationship.
“The complainant had shared her nude pictures and account password with Kumar and she found out that the same were posted on her social media account by him on April 27 after they broke up. He also called the victim’s sister and demanded the money which he had spent on the complainant during the relationship,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said.
He said a trap was laid with the help of the victim’s friends and the accused was apprehended from the Netaji Subhash Place Metro Station.

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#Sarpanchs #husband #held #posting #obscene #pics #exgirlfriend
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
JKNPP working president joins Azad-led DPAP in Jammu

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Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party working president P K Ganju joined the Democratic Progressive Azad Party here on Saturday along with his supporters, a DPAP leader said.
DPAP chairman and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad warmly welcomed Ganju, JKNPP spokesperson S Bali and their supporters into the party fold and said their joining would further strengthen the party.
Earlier on April 19, JKNPP general secretary Anita Thakur had joined the DPAP along with her supporters.

DPAP Jammu president Jugal Kishore Sharma said prominent political activists joining the Azad-led party indicates that it is growing fast in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said social activist Shivita of Marh constituency of Jammu along with a large number of women also joined the DPAP.
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#JKNPP #working #president #joins #Azadled #DPAP #Jammu

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
Excise policy case: Delhi court lists ED’s charge sheet against Sisodia on May 10

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New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday posted for consideration the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) supplementary charge sheet filed against former deputy chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia in excise policy case on May 10.
The probe agency informed the Special CBI Judge M.K. Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Court that a proceed of a crime worth Rs 622 crore was generated due to the activities of the accused as excise minister.
On ED apprising the court that hard copy of the supplementary charge sheet has been filed, the judge directed it to file the soft copies of the charge sheet by May 8.

The probe agency had, on Thursday, filed a third supplementary charge sheet in the case naming Sisodia.
This is the first time that the ED has named Sisodia in its charge sheet in the matter. Earlier, the CBI, which is conducting a parallel probe into the excise policy case, had named Sisodia in its supplementary charge sheet.
The ED has alleged that Sisodia was the mastermind behind the entire excise policy case and that he had deliberately leaked the policy to the co-accused to generate financial kickbacks.
Sisodia is currently in judicial custody.
Judge Nagpal had, on April 29, also extended Sisodia’s custody till May 8 in the case registered by the ED.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought ED’s response on Sisodia’s bail plea.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma issued notice on Sisodia’s bail plea and another application seeking interim bail on the ground of his wife’s ill-health.
ED’s counsel Zoheb Hossain said that the response will be filed to both the bail applications within a week.
Accordingly, the court listed the matter for further consideration on May 11.
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#Excise #policy #case #Delhi #court #lists #EDs #charge #sheet #Sisodia
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
AGMUT cadre IAS officers’ body expresses anguish over release of ex-MP Anand Mohan

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New Delhi: A group representing AGMUT cadre civil services officers has expressed “deep concern and anguish” over the release of former MP Anand Mohan, convicted for killing an IAS officer, following a change in the Bihar government’s prison manual.
This tantamounts to a “denial of justice” to G Krishnaiah, who was Gopalganj district magistrate in 1994, and his family, the association said in a statement issued on May 4.
Mohan was released by amending the classification rules of prisoners, the AGMUT Cadre IAS Officers’ Association said in a statement.

The association represents IAS officers serving in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre.
“The association expresses solidarity with the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association in demanding justice to the family of Late G Krishnaiah, IAS. The association stands firmly by the family of the deceased officer in its fight for justice,” it said.
In a statement earlier, the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association said Mohan’s release is “tantamount to denial of justice” and urged the Bihar government to reconsider its decision.
Krishnaiah was lynched by a mob led by Mohan in 1994. His wife Uma Krishnaiah has challenged the former Bihar MP’s premature release in the Supreme Court.
Mohan was released from Saharsa jail last month following an amendment in Bihar’s prison rules. His name figured in a list of more than 20 prisoners who were ordered to be set free by a notification issued by the Bihar government’s Law department as they had spent more than 14 years behind bars.

Uma Krishnaiah has contended that the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to Mohan meant incarceration for his entire natural course of life and that it cannot be mechanically interpreted to last just 14 years.
Mohan was convicted for the murder of Krishnaiah, a Dalit IAS officer. According to reports, Krishnaiah died after his car was attacked during the funeral procession of gangster Chotan Shukla.
The former MP was part of the procession in Muzaffarpur and the police had charge-sheeted him for provoking his supporters to commit the crime.
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#AGMUT #cadre #IAS #officers #body #expresses #anguish #release #exMP #Anand #Mohan
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
UP BJP leader organises free screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ for college girls

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Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh BJP secretary Abhijat Mishra on Saturday organised the screening of the controversial film “The Kerala Story” for around 80 college girls in the city, a move criticised by opposition parties in the state.
The BJP leader booked an entire theatre for the screening and said the movie should be shown to young girls “to prevent them from love jihad”.
The film, starring Adah Sharma, revolves around a group of women in Kerala who are forced to convert and join the ISIS.

Mishra said the movie is based on true events and shows how gullible girls are manipulated and then converted.
“The message which I want to convey to these girls, through this movie, is that they need to be aware and should not fall in any kind of traps, and focus on their studies,” he said.
“Must watch ‘The Kerala Story’ to save lives of young girls. Parties supporting terrorists and love jihad and opposing The Kerala Story should be banned,” he tweeted in Hindi.
The Opposition, however, said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was using the platform of film-making to propagate its political ideas rather than educate the masses.
Ankita Awasthi, a student who watched the movie, said one should be aware and not fall prey to clandestine designs.

Pratima Ghosh, a teacher who accompanied the college-going girls to the screening, said after watching the movie, one expects that the girls will stay away from “bad people”.
Taking umbrage at the screening of the movie, Samajwadi party spokesperson Ameeque Jamei said the BJP should change its name to “Bhartiya Nazi Party” and the Information and Broadcasting ministry to “propaganda ministry”.
He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking about a propaganda movie as he has nothing else to talk about.
“… this shows that the BJP is losing big time in (poll-bound) Karnataka,” Jamei said.
The hotly debated film on conversion is at the centre of national discourse with Modi crediting it for bringing out terror conspiracies and using it to attack the Congress during a rally in Karnataka on Friday.
In a rally in Ballari in poll-bound Karnataka, the prime minister had said, “Such a beautiful state of the country, where people are hardworking and talented. The Kerala Story’ film brings out terror conspiracies happening in that state.”
“It is unfortunate that Congress can be seen standing with this terror trend that is seeking to ruin the country. Congress is even indulging in backdoor political bargaining with people having terror inclinations. People of Karnataka should be cautious about Congress,” he added.
Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said films are meant to educate people but the saffron party politicises every issue for its political benefits. “They are making such movies to propagate their political needs,” he said.
“These kinds of movies do not benefit anyone or the country. They do not solve the problem of unemployment or inflation. The BJP always uses these kinds of movies to distract people from real issues,” Awasthi added.
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#BJP #leader #organises #free #screening #Kerala #Story #college #girls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023
VHP issues legal notice to Congress president for defaming Bajrang Dal

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New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad has issued a legal notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing him of making defamatory remarks against the Bajrang Dal in his party’s Karnataka poll manifesto and demanding a compensation of more than Rs 100 crore.
The notice was issued by the Chandigarh unit of the VHP and its youth wing Bajrang Dal on May 4, demanding the compensation within 14 days.
There was no immediate response from Congress on the queries sent to the party in this regard.

In its poll manifesto for May 10 assembly polls in Karnataka, the Congress said it is committed to take firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations such as the Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India (PFI) “spreading hatred” among communities on grounds of caste and religion.
The action will include a “ban” against such organisations, the party promised.
“That in the manifesto at Page 10, you made defamatory statements against the Bajrang Dal, associate body of the Vishva Hindu Parishad by declaring to ban the organisation and comparing it to outlawed terrorist organisations like the Popular Front of India and similar terrorist organisations like Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) which are outlawed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by the Government of India,” VHP’s lawyer and co-head of its legal cell Sahil Bansal charged in the legal notice.
“The PFI and SIMI are terrorist organisations associated with Al Qaeda and ISIS and other global terrorist organisations proscribed by the United Nations General Assembly and by more than 100 nations as well as proscribed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act,” he added.
Bansal claimed the Bajrang Dal “believes in universalism, tolerance, dharmic unity, national integrity and service towards Bharat Mata and in doing so seeks inspiration from the reverential example of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman who are the ideal embodiment of Dharma and Service”.

The Bajrang Dal is “totally devoted to the service of dharma and in doing so devoted to the service of mankind”, the VHP’s counsel said, adding, “Unto that end the credentials of the Bajrang Dal are unassailable and unimpeachable.”
“That the defamatory statement which you made in the election manifesto and it’s subsequent release in general public is having a tendency to injure the reputation of my client, lower them in the estimation of others and bring them in obliquity contempt and ridicule,” he charged Kharge in the legal notice.
“My client demands special damages on account of injury inflicted to their reputation, honour due to the statement/averments, which you have made in the election manifesto,” he said.
The VHP counsel “advised” Kharge to pay a total of Rs 100.10 crore to the VHP and Bajrang Dal within 14 days of the issuance of the legal notice.
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#VHP #issues #legal #notice #Congress #president #defaming #Bajrang #Dal
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 6, 2023