JD(S) to go alone in ULB polls, says Gowda; pre-poll tie-up with Cong may help BJP, says HDK

News Network

August 6, 2018

Bengaluru, Aug 6: The Janata Dal (Secular) has taken a firm decision to go it alone in the first phase of polls to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) scheduled to be held on August 29, instead of forging any pre-poll alliance.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Sunday, JD(S) national president and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda said it will be beneficial both for the JD(S) and the Congress if they fight the municipality elections alone.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy also claimed that alliance between JD(S) and Congress for ULB polls may directly help BJP.

The State Election Commission announced the timetable for polls to 105 local bodies (out of the 208 ULBs) across the state, last week. A fractured verdict in the 2018 Assembly polls witnessed the JD(S) and the Congress come together to stitch an alliance to form a coalition government. The Congress and JD(S) have even announced that they will have a pre-poll alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

However, things are very much different at the local level. By and large the feeling in the JD(S) is that an alliance in pockets where the party has a straight fight with the Congress could help the BJP make electoral inroads. Besides, it was felt that strength of the JD(S) is that it has a stronghold on local issues compared to the Congress. Pre-poll alliance for local body polls could threaten the very existence of the party.

Gowda said his party had no differences with the Congress. “There will be no confrontation with the Congress. We will have a friendly fight,” he added.

The JD(S) leader said newly appointed Karnataka Pradesh Congess Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao had also expressed similar views when he met him recently.

Replying to queries, Gowda said the JD(S) will soon come out with a booklet to counter the “misinformation campaign” launched by the BJP that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s recent budget proposals were confined only to three districts – Hassan, Mandya and Ramanagara. He also accused the BJP of creating confusion regarding the crop loan waiver scheme.

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Post-Sabarimala pilgrimage drinking party turns fatal in Udupi; youth killed in midnight brawl

News Network

December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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