Doctors, academics, post-graduates, retired officers… 'BJP’s list is based on political analysis'

News Network
April 12, 2023

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After what seemed like a long wait, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday night released its first list of 189 candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections, betting high on new faces as it faces a tough battle owing to mounting anti-incumbency. 

The BJP has fielded 52 new faces, including those who replace nine sitting MLAs. Fisheries Minister S Angara from Sullia and Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat did not get the tickets. 

The list also had 32 names from the OBC community, 30 from the Scheduled Caste, 16 names from the Scheduled Tribes and eight women. 

In Bengaluru, former police commissioner Bhaskar Rao is the BJP candidate from Chamarajpet. Contrary to speculation, senior MLA S Suresh Kumar has been renominated from Rajajinagar. The first list, however, does not contain Somanna’s seat Govindarajanagar and Mahadevapura represented by former minister Aravind Limbavali. 

According to sources, the BJP is trying to follow three broad principles in choosing candidates: replace those who have enjoyed senior positions and are nearing retirement, asking fathers to withdraw from the fray if they want tickets for their children, and avoid those facing charges of corruption and sexual misconduct. Based on this, some more sitting MLAs may not get tickets. 

The BJP list dominated by Lingayat and Vokkaliga candidates - was finalised after several days of back-to-back meetings. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan - he supervises the BJP’s election effort in Karnataka - said the list is based on “detailed political analysis”. 

Singh added that the list also had candidates with high professional achievements, with five advocates, nine doctors, three academics, one retd IAS officer and retired IPS each. Among the 189 names, 31 were post-graduates and three retired government employees. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that since Karnataka was a state of “intellectual leadership”, the party wanted to field peppy with more academic achievements. 

Sources said that the BJP’s list was delayed as it was waiting for a nod from PM Modi; a meeting of the party’s top election committee was held on April 9 with the attendance of union home minister Amit Shah, union defence minister Rajnath Singh, former Karnataka CM BS Yedyurappa, and CM Basavaraj Bommai. Yedyurappa left for Bangalore on Tuesday even as meetings between Shah and party president JP Nadda continued. The only next list will be out within the next four-five days, said the BJP. 

BJP leaders involved in the process said that there was consensus on over 160 names but that there were certain disagreements over the last few names. The strategy now, the leader said, is to field the prime minister as many times as possible. “We could not have expected the same mandate with the same old names. Newer faces will be the party’s future,” the leader said. 

Pradhan said that the list has representation from all sections. An example of that was the ticket to Bhagirathi Murulya from Dakshina Kannada’s Sullia reserved seat, over regional heavyweight and minister Angara S. 

The party’s ticket distribution, a repeat from what it did in states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, has angered several leaders with followers of senior faces like KS Eashwarappa and former deputy chief minister Jagdish Shettar holding demonstrations. There were also murmurs that V Somanna, who has been fielded against former CM Siddharamaiah from the Varuna seat, expressed reservations. He has been fielded from a second seat Chamarajpet, and in the list of 189 names, is the only second person fighting from two seats — the other is R Ashok who’s taking on Congress’s other heavyweight DK Shivakumar at Kanakpura, who’s also fighting from Padmanabhanagar. 

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News Network
November 30,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 30: A 22-year-old college student succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Mangaluru today, days after she was hit by a goods tempo while crossing a road in Padubidri.

The deceased has been identified as Preksha, a resident of Nadsalu Billitota in Padubidri. The fatal incident occurred as Preksha, who was returning home after completing her examination, attempted to cross the service road towards Mangaluru. She was struck by a goods tempo approaching from the Udupi side, causing her to fall and sustain a severe head injury.

Prompt action from local residents ensured she received immediate first aid before being rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru for specialised treatment. Despite medical efforts, she passed away while undergoing care.

Preksha was a student at Karavali College, Vamanjoor on the outskirts of Mangaluru city. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that she belonged to a financially vulnerable family, having previously lost her father. She is survived by her mother and brother.

A case related to the accident has been registered at the Padubidri police station, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances that led to the collision. The incident highlights the growing concerns over road safety, particularly on busy service roads, and serves as a tragic reminder of the human cost of traffic accidents.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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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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