BJP-Cong direct fight in Karnataka; no space for 3rd party: Ananth Kumar

March 12, 2017

Bengaluru, Mar 12: Union minister HN Ananth Kumar on Saturday said the 2018 assembly elections will be fought between the Congress and BJP, and ruled out space for a third party.

The Karnataka leader was in charge of a part of Purvanchal, the eastern end of Uttar Pradesh where the BJP scored substantially in the assembly elections.

Asked what role the JD(S) would play in the Karnataka elections, Kumar told STOI: "The corners are crumbling. Look what happened to the SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh." He virtually shut the JD(S) out of the 2018 bout. "People don't want to waste their ballots,'' he added.

The Union minister said his role in the assembly polls is to "work side by side" with state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa.
Dismissing a suggestion that the BJP was looking for young and new faces for CMs in states, he said: "We've declared Yeddyurappa as CM candidate. He delivered pro-people programmes during his tenure as CM.''

According to him, the BJP's UP performance would reverberate in the country and will be felt within the Congress too.

He said UP electoral politics has seen a big change, and the state has stopped being the crucible of caste and community equations. "People have become aspirational. Since UP was one of the Bimaru states, people wanted good quality of life and governance," he added.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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