Karnataka: 27 legislators raise red flag, put JD(S) on notice before bypolls

Agencies

October 21, 2019

Bengaluru, Oct 21: As many as 27 JD(S) legislators, including 11 council members, have put the party on notice, unmasking their deep differences with the first family.

Sources said the strained ties between the legislators and the party's top leadership - former PM HD Deve Gowda, former CM HD Kumaraswamy and former minister HD Revanna - seem to be beyond repair. After unhappy legislators met a week ago, Deve Gowda reportedly tried to broker peace but none expressed desire to show up at that meeting.

The development comes weeks before the December 5 Karnataka by-elections. Sources said the disgruntled legislators are likely to hold a meeting in Mangaluru in the first week of November to discuss the next step. The party put up a brave front and said it will take steps to contain the rebellion.

A senior party legislator said, "When it was in power in alliance with the Congress, the JD(S) didn't take seniors or other leaders seriously even in matters like allocating funds for our constituencies. Should we stand with them when they do not want us?"

JD(S) leaders could move to Congress

A party source said unhappy legislators have grouped into three units: MLAs led by Gubbi MLA SR Srinivas; MLCs with Basavaraj Horatti; and former MLAs under former Nagamangala MLA Suresh Babu. That JD(S) is beset with rebellion is well known with its Mysuru strongman GT Deve Gowda moving closer to BJP and Sa Ra Mahesh submitting resignation to the assembly speaker’s office.

On October 11, a meeting of disgruntled MLCs was held under the leadership of Horatti. An MLC privy to the meeting said only BM Farooq, SL Bhoje Gowda and brother SL Dharme Gowda kept away. “All others attended the meeting,” he added.

The party’s Vokkaliga legislators are looking at the Congress as an option if the party fails to address the issues. Sources said some JD(S) legislators are in touch with opposition leader Siddaramaiah as they believe a switch to the Congress could boost their career.

JD(S) state president HK Kumaraswamy said he will be in the party’s head office throughout the week to prepare the ground for bypolls and resolve differences, if any, among the state leaders. “We will make amends, if required,” he added.

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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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