Dakshina Kannada: Complaint filed against BJP MLA for false murder allegation against CM

Bengaluru, May 24: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said Ministers in his cabinet will soon be allocated portfolios, after the opposition BJP raised the issue in the state assembly. The CM gave the assurance in the House, in response to a question raised by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, over the delay in the allocation of portfolios to the Ministers.

Siddaramaiah and state Congress President D K Shivakumar were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively along with eight legislators as Ministers on May 20. Portfolios have not been allocated to the Ministers since then.

As soon as the CM introduced the Ministers of his cabinet in the Assembly, Bommai intervened and said, "Happy that the Chief Minister has introduced Ministers to the House, they have all worked as Ministers in the past. Congratulations to the Chief Minister and all the Ministers, but it would have been appropriate if the Chief Minister had introduced Ministers after allocating portfolios to them saying -- D K Shivakumar is Minister for this, G Parameshwara is Minister for this." "Why has it not happened? It should be done at the earliest, in my opinion, if it is done at the earliest it will be good," he added.

Responding to this, Siddaramaiah, while assuring that portfolios will be allocated to Ministers soon, pointed out that BJP leader B S Yediyurappa in the past had served as the lone member of the cabinet for quite some time, before inducting Ministers. "We will give them the responsibility at the earliest. How long was B S Yediyurappa alone in the cabinet as the Chief Minister? Mr Former Chief Minister (Bommai), you need not have any doubts, they (Ministers) will be given responsibility at the earliest," he said.

Reacting to this, Bommai said, "Yeddyurappa was alone sworn in then, so was alone, but in this case, the Ministers have taken the oath. You make them Minister and don't give them the responsibility, what will the people think? " To this, the CM said, "No one will think anything if you the opposition don't think otherwise it will be enough." As Bommai said, he was speaking on behalf of the Ministers, Siddaramaiah replied by saying, "thank you for your suggestion."

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are separately leaving for New Delhi today, where they are expected to meet the Congress high command and discuss cabinet expansion, and allocation of portfolios to existing Ministers.

Bengaluru: BJP candidate B Sriramulu has lost the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections to Congress’ B Nagendra by over 23,000 votes in the Ballari Rural constituency. 

Nagendra is the incumbent MLA from Ballari Rural. The official results by the Election Commission of India (ECI) were yet to be declared.

Sriramulu is among the 11 BJP ministers who are trailing in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. He is the Minister of Transport and Tribal Affairs in the Basavaraj Bommai government formed in 2021.

During the 2018 Assembly elections, Sriramulu won from the Molakalmuru Assembly constituency. He lost from Badami against Siddaramaiah.

According to his poll affidavit, Sriramulu has assets worth Rs 73.2 crore (Rs 12.8 crore moveable assets and Rs 60.4 crore immovable assets).  His liabilities are Rs 5.7 crore, his poll affidavit showed. Sriramulu has four pending criminal cases.

About Nagendra 

Nagendra won the seat in 2018. His self-sworn poll affidavit states that he has 42 pending criminal cases. Nagendra has declared assets worth Rs 17.6 crore. His movable assets amount to Rs 12.5 crore and his immovable assets are worth Rs 5.1 crore.

The Congress won the Karnataka assembly elections by promising free electricity, free ration and unemployment allowance in its poll manifesto, taking cue from the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.

He said the AAP has succeeded in its efforts to bring some change in the country's political discourse as other parties are also now seeking votes on issues like education and health.

He was addressing AAP leaders who won seats in just-concluded Uttar Pradesh local body elections.

"The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has tried to change the narrative of the country's politics. If you look at Karnataka polls, the Congress party has won on our manifesto," Kejriwal said.

"We said we will provide free electricity, they (Congress) also said so. We said we will provide unemployment allowance, free ration, and Rs 1,000 (per moth to women, They also said so," he said.

The BJP is also now making such promises, he said, adding, political parties earlier used to seek vote on the basis of caste and religion.

The AAP won three Nagar Palika chairperson seats, six Nagar Panchayat chairperson seats and six Nagar Nigam councillor seats besides several wards in the urban local body polls that were held in Uttar Pradesh in two phases — on May 4 and May 11.

More than half of the AAP's victorious candidates belonged to the minority community, according to the poll results available on the state election commission's website.

Kejriwal congratulated the AAP's Uttar Pradesh unit leaders, saying it was a "difficult" election as the state is considered a BJP stronghold. "You worked hard and defeated the BJP, the SP and other parties."

Kejriwal said the AAP leaders' victory in several seats in the local body elections is an indication that people of Uttar Pradesh "are ready for change". "They want good governance and development in the state," he added.

He said the AAP will now focus on expanding its foothold in Uttar Pradesh and contest the next assembly polls with full strength.

"We will build our organisation with the help of Sandeep Pathak (AAP national organisation secretary). We will form active committees of 10 members in every village and booth. Once our organisation is built in Uttar Pradesh, no one can stop us," he said. 

Kejriwal asked the elected representatives to work for the people in various sectors like health and education so that the AAP is strengthened in the state.  

"All of you have got more responsibility now… If you do good work in Uttar PRadesh that fragrance will spread across the state. We will get an entry in Uttar Pradesh through you," he added.