BJP planning to relaunch 'Operation Kamala' after LS poll: Siddaramaiah

News Network

April 16, 2019

Bengaluru, Apr 16: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday claimed that the BJP may relaunch its "Operation Kamala" after the Lok Sabha poll to topple the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah, who is also the chairman of Coalition Coordination Committee, however, stressed that the BJP will fail in its attempt to topple the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka because the government is 'very stable' and there are no differences between the Congress and JD(S).

He added that the BJP will not win the Lok Sabha poll because the party will lose significant number of seats in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. "The BJP cannot come to power at the Centre as it will not win a good number of seats in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In the 2014 (Lok Sabha) election, it had won 102 of the 120 seats in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Is it possible to win the same number of seats again? How can you say the BJP will come to power?," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

"Operation Kamala" (Operation Lotus) refers to the attempt made by the BJP in 2008 in which the saffron party had succeeded in engineering the defection of opposition legislators to save the government of Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. Speculations are rife that the BJP is attempting "Operation Kamala 2.0" with an aim to lure some MLAs from JD(S) in their fold and topple the coalition government.

It may be recalled that attempts were made by the BJP to engineer defections after the Assembly polls in 2018 when the party failed to come to power despite finishing as the single largest party with 104 seats.

The Congress-JD(S) coalition currently has 117 MLAs and the BJP needs to lure at least 13 MLAs from the coalition to resign in order to topple the government by bringing down the strength of state Assembly. The Karnataka Assembly has a total strength of 225 MLAs.

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Air India Express brings back Mangaluru–Muscat direct flights from March 2026

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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