B L Santosh managed to field his aides as BJP candidates across Karnataka: Jagadish Shettar

News Network
April 18, 2023

Hubballi, Apr 18: A day after the BJP named State BJP general secretary Mahesh Tenginkai as its candidate from Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who is now the Congress candidate after quitting the BJP, said on Tuesday that BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh is responsible for the BJP denying him (Shettar) the ticket.

Charging that Santosh managed to field his aides as BJP candidates across the state including his 'blue-eyed boy' Tenginkai, Shettar said Santosh and other leaders should have thought about the damage to be caused to the party's foundation if seniors like him (Shettar) who built the party are disturbed.

"I don't know why BJP's top leaders have belief in Santosh who was a failure when appointed as BJP's poll in-charge in different states. For him, the individual has become important and not the party. This will spoil BJP, and the ground reality was not conveyed to No 1 and No 2 (Narendra Modi and Amit Shah) in that party," Shettar said.

"Whispering campaign against me started several months back. I informed J P Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan, and others about it, but they did not take it seriously. B S Yediyurappa was also helpless," he noted.

There are several examples (like Ramdas in Mysuru) of Santosh managing to field his followers replacing winnable candidates. This is going to spoil the BJP, Shettar observed.

He also said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai should have presented a strong case in favour of him before the high command instead of giving mere assurances.

"State BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel is also Santosh's man. I was the senior most leader in BJP after B S Yediyurappa and K S Eshwarappa. Probably, that may be the reason to deny the ticket to me to prevent me from becoming an MLA. I just wanted a respectful exit from politics by becoming an MLA just for six months, but I was humiliated," he said, adding that State BJP is being controlled by only a few persons.

Opining that denial of a ticket to him would have an impact on neighbouring districts and across the state, Shettar said his task is to bring victory for Congress and to get it a clear majority.

"I am not power hungry and this would probably be my last election. As I want a respectful exit, I joined the Congress, and asked them to treat me with respect," he said.

"I am pained not just because of ticket denial, but because I was humiliated in BJP for several months. Floodgates are opened now," Shettar said.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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coastaldigest.com news network
December 2,2025

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Udupi, Dec 2: A wave of regional pride is sweeping through Udupi district as Shagun S Verma Hegde, a talented Class 9 student from Christ King English Medium High School, Karkala, has been named the captain of the Indian National Team for the Under-15 Girls’ Volleyball Championship.

Shagun holds the unique distinction of being the sole player from Karnataka selected to represent the country in the prestigious international tournament. The championship, organized by the School Games Federation, is scheduled to take place in Shangluo, China, from December 3 to 13, where Shagun will lead the national squad.

A Remarkable Journey to the Top

Shagun’s selection is a testament to her dedication and exceptional skill on the court. Her journey included several rigorous rounds of selection:

•    She was the only player from Udupi district to qualify for the state-level selection camp.

•    Out of eight players from Karnataka who advanced to the national selection camp in Pune, Maharashtra, Shagun was the only one to secure a place in the final national squad.

•    The national camp saw participation from approximately 200 players, which was shortlisted to 23. Shagun not only made the final cut but was also ranked as the second-best player overall, solidifying her leadership role.

Shagun, who is the daughter of Sandesh Verma and Shruthiraj of Kallotte, Karkala, has trained under experienced coaches Santosh D’Souza, Jeevan D’Silva, Jairaj Poojary, and Ramesh. Her selection as the team captain has brought profound honour to her family, school, the Udupi district, and the entire state of Karnataka.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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