Man booked for delivering Azaan outside DC office in protest against BJP MLA’s remark

Bengaluru, May 13: The Congress is striding forward with 50 wins and leads in 87 seats, according to latest Election Commission of India trends, as votes were counted on May 13 for an election widely seen as a litmus test for both parties ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.

With a much-needed victory tantalisingly close in the crucial southern State, early celebrations broke out at the Opposition Congress headquarters in Bengaluru and Delhi. As per the latest Election Commission data at 2.40 p.m., the Congress is leading in 87 seats while the BJP is ahead in 42 seats.

Meanwhile, JD(S) is leading in 11 seats, Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha in one each while two Independent candidates are ahead in the initial trends. The counting is being held at 36 centres across the State, in which 2,615 candidates are in the fray.

As per the Election Commission, voting on May 10 passed off peacefully with a historic turnout of over 73.19%, surpassing the 2018 figures (72.36%) after the final reconciliation of figures.

The current term of the government will end on May 24, 2023.

Siddaramaiah v/s DKS

In the Congress's victory celebrations in Karnataka, the only downer is the looming Siddaramaiah versus DK Shivakumar tussle for the chief minister's job.
Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are the Congress's top leaders in Karnataka, one a former chief minister and the other, the state Congress chief. Neither has been coy about their chief ministerial ambition.

Mr Shivakumar, 61, broke down as he spoke about delivering on a promise to the Gandhis. He also said he had not slept for three years, ever since he made the promise.

"I assured Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver Karnataka. I can't forget Sonia Gandhi coming to meet me in jail," said the emotional Congress leader.

On who would be Chief Minister, he said: "The Congress office is our temple. We will decide our next step at the Congress office."

Mr Shivakumar has been the congress's troubleshooter for years.

One of the wealthiest politicians in Karnataka, "DKS" rose to prominence in 2019 when he tried - but failed - to salvage the Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition government, which collapsed after the mass defection of MLAs from both parties.

Unlike Siddaramaiah, Mr Shivakumar has always been a Congressman, and has not lost a single election since his first electoral victory in 1989.

Mr Shivakumar is facing several corruption cases and even spent time in Delhi's Tihar Jail before being granted bail. There was much speculation about the timing of the investigation and raids against the Congress leader in 2017, when he was "guarding" Congress MLAs from Gujarat ahead of Rajya Sabha polls in the state.

Siddaramaiah, 75, has repeatedly said this is his last electoral contest, hoping, perhaps, that the Congress will consider this while making its choice.

For his critics in the Congress, Siddaramaiah is still the "outsider", an import from another party.

"It's a big victory for the Congress party. The people of Karnataka wanted change. This is a mandate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Siddaramaiah said.

His son Yathindra Siddaramaiah said his father should be chief minister "for the sake of Karnataka".

"We will do anything to keep the BJP out of power. In the interest of Karnataka, my father should become Chief Minister," Yathindra Siddaramaiah told news agency ANI.

"As a son, definitely I would like to see him as a chief minister. But as a resident of the state, his last regime saw good governance. This time also, if he becomes Chief Minister, the corruption and misrule of the BJP rule will be corrected by him. In the interest of the State also, he should become Chief Minister," said Siddaramaiah junior.

Bengaluru, May 20: As many as eight Congress MLAs were sworn in as ministers in the Karnataka Cabinet during the oath-taking ceremony of Karnataka’s new chief minister and his deputy in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to the MLAs at the swearing-in ceremony held at the jam-packed Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge, party's MLAs G Parameshwara and MB Patil were among the eight MLAs.

The other MLAs who took oath included KH Muniyappa, KJ George, Satish Jarkiholi, Ramalinga Reddy and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the second time on Saturday after the party's thumping victory in the Assembly elections.

This is the same stadium where Siddaramaiah took oath in 2013 when he became Chief Minister for the first time.

DK Shivakumar was sworn in as sole Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Top brass of the Congress party including the Gandhi family members - Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge were present on the occasion.

The Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled states including Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel attended the event.

The party had also sent an invitation to numerous opposition parties and their leaders.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Tejashwi Yadav, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah were also present during the swearing-in ceremony.

Other opposition leaders who were present include Sharad Pawar, and Kamal Haasan.

Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan attends the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Karnataka Government in Bengaluru.

Ahead of the ceremony, Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah were seen holding each other's hands in the air as a show of strength and unity.

Congress bagged 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ousting the ruling BJP, which got 66 seats while the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats in the results declared on May 13.

Hiroshima, May 20: The Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as he unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi here in this Japanese city.

The location of the bust of Gandhi has been chosen as a mark of solidarity for peace and non-violence. The US conducted the world's first nuclear attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing some 140,000 people.

Modi also spoke to reporters after unveiling the bust and said that even today the world gets frightened even today when it hears the word 'Hiroshima'.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, representing a Hiroshima constituency in the House of Representatives, invited Modi to the G-7 Summit as a guest.

The bust was gifted by India to Hiroshima as a symbol of friendship and goodwill between India and Japan on the occasion of Prime Minister Modi's visit to the city for the G7 summit.

"Unveiled Mahatma Gandhi’s bust in Hiroshima. This bust in Hiroshima gives a very important message. The Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions," the prime minister tweeted.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the bust was a befitting tribute to a city that symbolises humanity's yearning for peace.

The 42-inch tall bronze bust has been sculpted by Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar. The bust site, adjacent to the Motoyasu River, is close to the iconic A-Bomb Dome that is visited by thousands of people - locals and tourists alike - every day.

Gandhi dedicated his life to peace and non-violence. The location truly resonates with the principles and life of Gandhiji, which continue to inspire the world and its leaders, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

After unveiling the bust, Modi paid floral tributes to Gandhi.

He thanked the mayor of the city and the Japanese government for the opportunity to unveil the Gandhi bust and said it will take forward the idea of non-violence.

"It is a great moment for me to know that the Bodhi tree that I gifted to the Japanese prime minister has been planted here in Hiroshima so that people can understand the importance of peace when they come here. I pay my respect to Mahatma Gandhi," Modi said.

Modi also held bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Kishida, focusing on ways to synergise efforts under G7 and G20 presidencies to deal with various global challenges.

Modi arrived in Hiroshima on Friday on the first leg of his three-nation trip to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia and is expected to take part in over 40 engagements.

Modi is visiting Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 primarily for the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies in which he is expected to speak on challenges facing the globe, including food, fertiliser and energy security.

He will hold bilateral meetings with some of the world leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit.

The G7 bloc comprises Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union.