BJP high-command snubs Yeddyurappa; no place for Shobha Karandlaje

Bengaluru, Jul 8: The BJP central leadership has snubbed its Karnataka unit chief B S Yeddyurappa by dropping his close associates, including MP Shobha Karandlaje, from a list he proposed for restructuring the highest decision making body - the state core committee.

Out of 22 members' list sent by Yeddyurappa for approval recently, the party's central leadership pruned it to 12, all men, and retained only two prominent leaders - C M Udasi and Arvind Limbavali - from the Yeddyurappa camp.

Besides Udupi-Chikmagaluru MP Karandlaje, state general secretary N Ravi Kumar, senior leaders B J Puttaswamy, Basavaraj Bommai and C?H Vijayshankar were among other Yeddyurappa followers axed from the list. Karandlaje is a general secretary of the party's state unit. She was appointed after Yeddyurappa became the state president.

Ravi Kumar, before moving to the BJP, was an ABVP?activist, who is close to Yeddyurappa.

The names approved for the state core committee are: B S Yeddyurappa, Union ministers Ananth Kumar and D V Sadananda Gowda, MLAs Jagadish Shettar, R Ashok, C T Ravi, Arvind Limbavali and Govind Karjol, MLC K S Eshwarappa, Dharwad MP?Pralhad Joshi, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, and former minister C M Udasi.

National General Secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal, National Joint General Secretary (Organisation) Santosh, Karnataka in-charge General Secretary Muralidar Rao and State General Secretary (Organisation) B P Arun Kumar will be permanent invitees to the meeting.

The state core committee is supposed to hold its meeting at least once a month and if needed more, said Arun Singh, National General Secretary (headquarters) in-charge Arun Singh, who released the list.

The recent appointment of state office-bearers and presidents of district units has triggered discontent against Yeddyurappa, with several party functionaries under the leadership of Eshwarappa openly questioning the Lingayat leader's “unilateral” decisions bypassing the core committee.

They also accused Karandlaje of high-handedness in making appointments, which she refuted.

Eshwarappa had held meetings of like-minded leaders recently. He also met party top brass in Delhi and complained against Yeddyurappa, the "high-handedness" of his loyalists in party affairs and prominence given to those from his now defunct organisation Karnataka Janata Party. His grouse is that he has not been appointed president of the Shivamogga unit of the party. Instead, Yeddyurappa chose Rudre Gowda, who contested as the KJP nominee in the last assembly polls.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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