Mangaluru youth dies in Saudi road mishap; family shell-shocked

Bengaluru, May 13: Putting up a united front and making corruption a central theme of its campaign coupled with pre-poll 'guarantees' of free power and rice and unemployment dole did the trick for Congress in defeating the BJP, which was weighed down by anti-incumbency.

In addition, the Muslim vote, which accounted for nearly 13 per cent of the electorate, consolidated in favour of the party, Congress sources said.

The Congress has promised to implement poll ‘guarantees’ — 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti - on the very first day after coming to power in the state.

The Congress successfully wresting power in Karnataka after Himachal Pradesh will be a morale booster for the party in reviving its electoral fortunes and strengthening its credentials as the main opposition player against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"I think this election is crucial. This result is the stepping stone for the party in the Lok Sabha election in 2024 .... I also hope that Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister of this country," party stalwart and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said.

With the win in Karnataka, the Congress has also bounced back after the recent losses in the Northeastern states and it will give the momentum needed to take on the battle-ready election machinery of the BJP later this year in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

The Congress, by and large, focused on local issues in this election and its campaign also was run by state leaders initially. However, its central leaders such as party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra pitched in subsequently.

The Congress entered the campaign with the challenge of keeping at bay the factionalism, especially between the camps of its two chief ministerial aspirants -- Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar -- who were often seen to be engaging in political one-upmanship, but succeeded in putting up a united front and ensured that no rift came out in the open and derailed its prospects.

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Kambala Samithi has welcomed the verdict of the Supreme Court upholding the validity of Amendment Acts of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, which allowed bull taming sport jallikattu, bullock cart races, and buffalo racing sport kambala.

Animal rights groups, led by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), had challenged these practices in the Apex Court.

President of the samithi Brujesh Chowta said in a release that with the verdict, now there is no fear of a ban on kambala.

He said that the kambala is part of the culture of Karnataka’s coastal belt. The court’s verdict has provided justice to the fight of people of Tulu Nadu.

The judgment by the Division Bench has added more strength for organising kambala without any hurdles, Mr. Chowta said.

The samithi thanked the State and the Central governments, elected representatives, Kamabla Samithi of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod for fighting for the cause of kambala, he said.

Bengaluru, May 13: The Congress is striding forward with 50 wins and leads in 87 seats, according to latest Election Commission of India trends, as votes were counted on May 13 for an election widely seen as a litmus test for both parties ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.

With a much-needed victory tantalisingly close in the crucial southern State, early celebrations broke out at the Opposition Congress headquarters in Bengaluru and Delhi. As per the latest Election Commission data at 2.40 p.m., the Congress is leading in 87 seats while the BJP is ahead in 42 seats.

Meanwhile, JD(S) is leading in 11 seats, Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha in one each while two Independent candidates are ahead in the initial trends. The counting is being held at 36 centres across the State, in which 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

As per the Election Commission, voting on May 10 passed off peacefully with a historic turnout of over 73.19%, surpassing the 2018 figures (72.36%) after the final reconciliation of figures.

The current term of the government will end on May 24, 2023.

Siddaramaiah v/s DKS

In the Congress's victory celebrations in Karnataka, the only downer is the looming Siddaramaiah versus DK Shivakumar tussle for the chief minister's job.
Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are the Congress's top leaders in Karnataka, one a former chief minister and the other, the state Congress chief. Neither has been coy about their chief ministerial ambition.

Mr Shivakumar, 61, broke down as he spoke about delivering on a promise to the Gandhis. He also said he had not slept for three years, ever since he made the promise.

"I assured Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver Karnataka. I can't forget Sonia Gandhi coming to meet me in jail," said the emotional Congress leader.

On who would be Chief Minister, he said: "The Congress office is our temple. We will decide our next step at the Congress office."

Mr Shivakumar has been the congress's troubleshooter for years.

One of the wealthiest politicians in Karnataka, "DKS" rose to prominence in 2019 when he tried - but failed - to salvage the Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition government, which collapsed after the mass defection of MLAs from both parties.

Unlike Siddaramaiah, Mr Shivakumar has always been a Congressman, and has not lost a single election since his first electoral victory in 1989.

Mr Shivakumar is facing several corruption cases and even spent time in Delhi's Tihar Jail before being granted bail. There was much speculation about the timing of the investigation and raids against the Congress leader in 2017, when he was "guarding" Congress MLAs from Gujarat ahead of Rajya Sabha polls in the state.

Siddaramaiah, 75, has repeatedly said this is his last electoral contest, hoping, perhaps, that the Congress will consider this while making its choice.

For his critics in the Congress, Siddaramaiah is still the "outsider", an import from another party.

"It's a big victory for the Congress party. The people of Karnataka wanted change. This is a mandate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Siddaramaiah said.

His son Yathindra Siddaramaiah said his father should be chief minister "for the sake of Karnataka".

"We will do anything to keep the BJP out of power. In the interest of Karnataka, my father should become Chief Minister," Yathindra Siddaramaiah told news agency ANI.

"As a son, definitely I would like to see him as a chief minister. But as a resident of the state, his last regime saw good governance. This time also, if he becomes Chief Minister, the corruption and misrule of the BJP rule will be corrected by him. In the interest of the State also, he should become Chief Minister," said Siddaramaiah junior.