Karnataka polls: UTK’s Mangaluru, DKS’ Kanakapura… 20 seats to watch out for

Bengaluru, Nov 27: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp is reportedly on alert as the Congress leadership tussle in the state intensifies, particularly amid speculation over the potential promotion of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah is said to be in a “wait-and-watch” mode after admitting to “confusion” earlier this week and urging the party to “put a full stop” to it.

Sources say his supporters are ready to act if senior leaders — including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi — give any indication of backing Shivakumar. If the party insists on a leadership change, Siddaramaiah’s camp has a list of alternatives, underscoring the deep rift between the two leaders. One possible candidate is Home Minister G. Parameshwara, a Siddaramaiah loyalist and influential Dalit leader.

The strategy was reportedly finalized at a meeting led by PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, another Siddaramaiah supporter, who stressed that Delhi leaders need to resolve the issue. Kharge and the Gandhis are expected to meet soon, after which Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar may be summoned to Delhi.

Shivakumar has largely stayed non-confrontational, publicly endorsing Siddaramaiah and downplaying speculation about his own ambitions. However, he has made pointed comments emphasizing the importance of honoring promises, directed at Siddaramaiah.

The feud traces back to the 2023 state election, when Siddaramaiah was chosen as Chief Minister while Shivakumar, who led the party’s campaign, was made Deputy CM and state party chief — a departure from the Congress’ usual “one post per person” rule.

There were also hints of a prior understanding that Siddaramaiah would step down midway through the term. As the halfway mark passed last week, Shivakumar-aligned lawmakers have ramped up pressure on the party for a leadership change, with Shivakumar himself hinting at stepping down as state party chief to pursue the top job.

Israeli forces have pushed over the Syrian frontier, erecting a checkpoint and stopping vehicles in the southwestern city of Quneitra, in yet another breach of the Arab country’s sovereignty.

The violation took place on Sunday, when the troops made their way across the border, setting up the outpost near the Ain al-Bayda junction in northern Quneitra, Syrian outlets reported.

According to the al-Ikhbariya paper, an Israeli detachment positioned itself at the junction, halting cars and conducting searches.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that three Israeli military vehicles then moved further into the northern countryside, deploying between the town of Jubata al-Khashab and the villages of Ofaniya and Ain al-Bayda. The agency added that a separate Israeli unit mounted a new incursion in the central region, approaching the villages of Umm Batina and al-Ajraf.

Residents said such activities have surged in recent months, pointing to Israeli advances onto farmland, leveling of extensive forested areas, arrests, and spread of mobile checkpoints.

The Israeli regime began markedly increasing its military aggression against Syria last year.

The escalation coincided with increasingly ferocious onslaughts throughout the country by the so-called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Takfiri terrorist group, which the government of President Bashar al-Assad had confined to northwestern Syria. The HTS, however, managed to overthrow the government as the Israeli attacks would pummel the country’s civilian and defensive infrastructure.

Various reports have shown that, during the escalation, the regime conducted more than 1,000 airstrikes on the Syrian territory and over 400 ground raids into the south.

Following the collapse of the Assad government, Tel Aviv also widened its grip over the occupied Golan Heights by taking control of a demilitarized buffer zone, in defiance of a 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Earlier this month, senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the buffer zone, prompting expressions of alarm on the part of the United Nations.

The United States, the regime’s biggest ally, has, meanwhile, been fraternizing the HTS head Abu Mohammed al-Jolani amid the widely reported prospect of rapprochement with Tel Aviv.

Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka is taking its first concrete steps towards lifting a three-decade-old ban on student elections in colleges and universities. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced Wednesday that the state government will form a small committee to study the reintroduction of campus polls, a practice halted in 1989 following incidents of violence.

Speaking at a 'Constitution Day' event organised by the Karnataka Congress, Mr. Shivakumar underscored the move's aim: nurturing new political leadership from the grassroots.

"Recently, (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to me and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) asking us to think about restarting student elections," Shivakumar stated. "I'm announcing today that we'll form a small committee and seek a report on this."

Student elections were banned in Karnataka in 1989, largely due to concerns over violence and the infiltration of political party affiliates into campus life. The ban effectively extinguished vibrant student bodies and the pipeline of young leaders they often produced.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, said that former student leaders will be consulted to "study the pros and cons" of the re-introduction.

Acknowledging the history of the ban, he added, "There were many criminal activities taking place back then. We’ll see how we can conduct (student) elections by regulating such criminal activities."

The Deputy CM reminisced about his own journey, which began on campus. He recalled his political activism at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College leading to his first Assembly ticket in 1985 at the age of 23. "That's how student leadership was at the time. Such leadership has gone today. College elections have stopped," he lamented, adding that for many, college elections were "like a big movement" where leaders were forged.

The move, driven by the Congress high command's push to cultivate young talent, will face scrutiny from academics and university authorities who have, in the past, expressed concern that the return of polls could disrupt the peaceful academic environment and turn campuses into political battlegrounds.