What drove BJP to huge victory in Sindagi assembly segment?

News Network

November 2, 2021

Bengaluru, Nov 2: BJP candidate Ramesh Bhusanur registered a thumping victory with a margin of 31,088 votes in the bypolls held to the Sindagi assembly segment. While Ramesh Bhusanur secured 93,380 votes, his nearest rival Ashok Managuli of Congress obtained 62,292 votes. JD(S) candiate Najiya Angadi was pushed to third.

Sindagi bypoll in-charge and former deputy chief minister Lakshman Savadi ensured BJP's victory through caste equations. Ministers Govind Karjol, V Somanna, CC Patil and Shashikala Jolle led by Savadi turned the wave towards the saffron party by visiting each convincing leaders of all communities.

BJP leaders managed to woo the Talawar community, who form a major chunk of the population in the constituency, by promising them reservation under the ST category.

For Congress candidate Ashok Managuli, sympathy for his late father M C Managuli did not work in his favour. Original Congress leaders did not actively work for him as he switched to the grand-old-party from the JD(S).

The regional political outfit tried to woo Muslims by fielding a Muslim candidate but voters from the minority community spotted the strategy and didn’t vote enmasse for the party and instead stood behind Congress.

CM Basavaraj Bommai, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and vice president Vijayendra and other ministers campaigned agressively to woo voters. According to political observers, people might have leaned towards the BJP as the double engine government at the Centre and in the state may help take up developmental works in the segment.

The issue of price rise of essential commodities raised by Congress failed to impact the election. JD(S) had won Sindagi constituency in 2018 but ended up worse off, and lost its deposit.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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