J H Patel 's son joins JD (S)

March 22, 2014

Bangalore, Mar 22: Janata Dal?(Secular) national president H?D?Deve Gowda is rolling his dice carefully while picking the disgruntled leaders of other parties to the party fold. He has not allowed his son H?D?Kumaraswamy to do the calculations this time around.

On Friday, he got back Mahima Patel, son of late chief minister J H?Patel, into the party and fielded him in Davangere. Gowda went to Mahima 's house in Dollars Colony as soon as he returned from Arasikere.

Gowda had not extended this generosity to any other politician who switched loyalty to the party in the recent months. Such gesture comes because Gowda had a long association with J?H Patel. When Gowda became the prime minister, he anointed Patel as the chief minister. Later, Gowda said he has secured the blessings of Sarvamangala, wife of late J H?Patel, to take Mahima into JD(S). “I?will soon hand over the mantle to youngsters like Kumaraswamy and J?H?Patel 's son. I?will distance myself from active politics,” he said.

The Jr Patel is surely not a heavyweight politician. But in Davangere, his late father is still a revered leader. Also, getting a Lingayat man of a reputed political family is seen as a plus point for the JD(S), which is perceived predominantly a Vokkaliga party.

Mahima had successfully contested on the JD(S) ticket in 2004 from Channagiri Assembly seat. Later, he moved out of the party and floated Suvarna Yuga Party. He failed to win in the 2008 Assembly polls. Later, he switched over to the Congress. “I am coming back to practical politics and hope to secure a win from Davangere,” he said. Mahima tried to secure Congress ticket.

While getting Jaffer Sharief to the JD(S) is seen as a strategy to win over Muslims, making Mahima to be the candidate in the Lingayat heartland is seen as a move to send a message to the community that the party is not against them. Gowda has already made A?Krishnappa, a Yadava (Golla) the party president. He was denied ticket by the Congress during the last assembly polls. Now he is the JD(S) candidate from Tumkur.

In Haveri, Gowda has strategically chosen a Lingayat to be the candidate. Former MP Menasinkai 's son Ravi Menasinkai is being fielded here, which has a considerable Lingayat voting population.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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Mangaluru Airport turns political stage: Congress workers chant for DKS as Venugopal arrives

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December 3,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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