Karnataka polls will reveal national mood, say parties

Bangalore, May 3: Karnataka's electoral outcome will reveal what the national mood is ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha elections, say both the BJP and the Congress. This is probably one of the reasons why the Sunday election has attracted so much national attention.

Voters will pick 223 members for the 225-seat assembly that includes one nominated member. Polling in Periyapatna in Mysore district has been cancelled following the death of the BJP candidate.

The assembly election is taking place amid unprecedented corruption scandals haunting the Congress at the national level and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka.

Both the parties say the Karnataka outcome would be a pointer to the national mood among the electorate.

In the 1985 Lok Sabha poll, the state voted overwhelmingly for the Congress, giving the party 24 of the 28 seats.

A few months later the Congress was defeated soundly in the assembly poll as the electorate preferred the Janata Party.

In 1989, the Congress had lost in the Lok Sabha election, but it romped home to a massive victory in the assembly election bagging 178 seats.

A decade later, in 1999, the BJP returned to power in New Delhi but the Congress won the assembly poll with a comfortable majority - 132 seats.

The BJP however lost the 2004 Lok Sabha battle in the state but emerged as the single largest party in the assembly poll held simultaneously, with 79 seats. The Congress got 65 seats.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha poll, the BJP bagged 19 of the 28 seats while the Congress got just six.

With such a volatile electoral history, it will be worth watching the Karnataka election result.

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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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