Congress and JD(S) to extend alliance to civic bodies in Karnataka

Agencies

September 2, 2018

Bengaluru, Sept 2: The ruling Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress in Karnataka will be extending their coalition alliance to the urban local bodies (ULBs) polls across the state to keep the Opposition BJP out of power, a JD(S) official said on Saturday.

"In the event of either party not getting majority on its own in the ULB elections, we will have post-poll alliance to rule the local bodies as we did to form the coalition government in the state after the May 12 assembly election threw a hung House with a split verdict," the official told IANS in Bengaluru.

Elections to 105 ULBs, including three city corporations, were held on Friday across the southern state, with a record 68% voter turnout.

Counting is on Monday from 8 am and results are expected to be declared by night as electronic voting machines (EVMs) were used for polling.

According to the State Election Commission (SEC), polling was held in 2,662 civic wards spanning 29 city municipalities, 53 town municipalities, 23 town panchayats and 135 wards at Mysuru, Shivamogga and Tumakuru city corporations.

"Though we are hoping to secure majority in city, town and panchayat wards in our strongholds, especially in the old Mysuru region, we are ready to take the support of the Congress to run the local bodies with majority," said the official.

The JD(S) is also ready to support the Congress in the local bodies where it may fall short of majority so as to keep the BJP out.

"We are expecting to secure majority in many city and town municipalities across the state though we contested against the JD(S) and the BJP. We hope the JD(S) will reciprocate our gesture to support it in forming the coalition government in the state," a Congress spokesman told IANS.

In all, 8,340 candidates, including 2,306 from the Congress, 2,203 from the BJP and 1,397 from the JD(S) contested in the ULBs, while 814 did in three city corporations, including 135 from Congress, 130 from BJP and 129 from JD(S), with the remaining as Independents.

In the 2013 ULB elections held in 4,976 seats, the Congress had won 1,960 seats, while the BJP and the JD(S) had won 905 seats each, and Independents had bagged the remaining 1,206 seats.

“Though the coordination committee of the alliance partners discussed the prospects of post-poll tie-up in ULBs, a decision to that effect will be taken after all the results of the wards are declared by Monday night," added the Congress official.

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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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