Ready to contest against Siddaramaiah: Yeddyurappa

Agencies
April 22, 2018

Bengaluru, Apr 22: Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa today said he was ready to contest against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from Badami if the party's national president Amit Shah asked him to do so.

"Our party's national president will decide whether I should contest or someone else. If I'm asked to contest, I'm ready. If he asks someone else to contest, they will contest," Yeddyurappa told reporters in Chikkamagaluru.

The former Chief Minister further said, "But it is certain that we will field a good candidate in Badami and defeat Siddaramaiah. BJP has already taken a decision in this regard."

Badami in Bagalkote will be the second constituency from where Siddaramaiah will be contesting the May 12 Karnataka assembly polls, the other being Chamundeshwari in Mysuru. Ending suspense over contesting from a second constituency, the Chief Minister would file his nomination papers from Badami on April 24.

Meanwhile, amidst speculation that he would be fielded against Siddaramaiah from Badami, BJP MP B Sriramulu today said he would abide by the party's decision. "... the party will decide about my contesting from Badami.

We are disciplined soldiers of BJP... if the party asks me to contest from anywhere I will contest," he told reporters. Sriramulu has been fielded by the BJP from Molakalmuru constituency in Chitradurga district, and he has already filed his nomination from there.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah, who has already filed his nominations from Chamundeshwari constituency, has maintained that he was under pressure from local party leaders in Bagalkote and Vijayapura districts to contest from Badami as it would benefit Congress' prospects in the region.

To a question that Sriramulu was likely to be fielded by the BJP against him from Badami, he said "let them field anyone. I'm not worried about who the opponent is." "Elections are fought on ideologies not between persons. We are fighting against communalism, we are fighting communal forces and we want to defeat communal forces," he added.

The Chief Minister also said that the people of Chamundeshwari have already decided to vote in his favour. The Congress in its list of candidates for 218 seats announced on April 15, had named Dr Devraj Patil as its nominee from Badami, but issuing of B-form (required to be filed by a political party mentioning name of its approved candidate) to Patil has been put on hold.to him was put on hold.

Today in the second list released by the party, Siddaramaiah's name was announced replacing Patil. Badami with strong Kuruba presence, the community to which Siddaramaiah belongs, is seen as a safer option for the Chief Minister as reports have suggested that the battle in Chamundeshwari will not be an easy one for him.

Siddaramaiah has won five times and tasted defeat twice at Chamundeshwari. He has been representing Varuna constituency in Mysuru since 2008, which has now been allotted to his son Dr Yatindra. 

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News Network
January 8,2026

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Jubail: Team B-Human (Jubail Unit) hosted a special felicitation ceremony at the Muzain Campus to honour Mr. Zakariya Jokatte, an ad-hoc member of the organisation and a recipient of the prestigious Karnataka Rajyotsava Award.

The event brought together the leadership of Team B-Human along with the faculty and management of Al Muzain, celebrating Mr. Jokatte’s lifelong commitment to social service and his recognition by the Karnataka state government for outstanding contributions to society.

Several prominent community leaders and philanthropists were present on the occasion, who spoke highly of Mr. Jokatte’s humanitarian work and dedication to public welfare.

Addressing the gathering, Team B-Human Founder Asif Deals outlined the organisation’s core mission and values. He urged attendees to watch a documentary highlighting Zakariya Jokatte’s inspiring life journey and achievements, describing it as a source of motivation for the younger generation.

During the ceremony, the management and trustees presented tokens of appreciation to the awardee. A memento was also presented to Team B-Human HQ President, Adv. Zeeshan, in recognition of his leadership and continued guidance.

The event reflected strong collaboration with Team Muzain, with senior management members including Deepak (General Manager), Ritesh (Planning Manager), and Cherian Thomas (Finance Manager) in attendance.

The felicitation ceremony was graced by Chairman Shareef White Stone, Trustees Yunus Manipal, Shahul Hamid, and Bashir Al Falak, and Executive Members Iqbal Buntwal, Nazir Ullal, Ibba Bajpe, Sheriff Adoor, Salim Udupi, Muqthar (Shield Sensor), and Farooq (Port Way).

The programme concluded with a collective call to continue supporting humanitarian causes, echoing the spirit of “B-Human” across both Saudi Arabia and India.

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News Network
January 14,2026

Bengaluru, Jan 14: Adding to speculation over a possible power tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday shared a cryptic message on social media platform X.

In a Kannada post accompanied by his photograph, Shivakumar wrote, “Even if the effort fails, the prayer does not fail.”

The post came a day after his brief meeting with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the Mysuru airport runway, where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was also present.

According to sources, Gandhi spoke separately with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for a few minutes each, before holding a short joint interaction with both leaders.

A Congress leader said Siddaramaiah discussed preparations for the upcoming state Budget and the need for a Cabinet reshuffle during his interaction with Gandhi. The leader added that Shivakumar may have raised the issue of the government completing two-and-a-half years in office and the alleged promise of making him Chief Minister.

However, Siddaramaiah denied that any political matters were discussed during the meeting. Responding to speculation about a possible leadership change, he dismissed it as media conjecture, saying there was “no such issue within the party,” while adding that he would abide by whatever decision the party high command takes.

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News Network
January 14,2026

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The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has announced that admissions to undergraduate programmes in physiotherapy and occupational therapy will henceforth be conducted exclusively through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

In a press release issued by Prof. U. T. Iftikhar Ali Fareed, Chairman of the Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council, stated that the NCAHP has clarified the category-wise degree nomenclature and admission criteria for allied and healthcare undergraduate programmes, effective from the academic year 2026–27.

According to the notification, admissions to the Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) – Category 3 and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) – Category 6 will be conducted only through NEET, in accordance with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021.

All Vice-Chancellors of public, private, and deemed-to-be universities in Karnataka have been asked to ensure strict compliance with the NCAHP guidelines and to disseminate the information widely among affiliated colleges, faculty, and students.

Prof. Ifthikar Ali emphasized that universities must take necessary steps to implement the admission procedure for the academic year 2026–27 and subsequent years.
 

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