‘Rahul Gandhi will become PM,’ predicts Lingayat swamji; senior swamji intervenes

News Network
August 3, 2022

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Bengaluru, Aug 3: A prominent swamiji at a Lingayat seminary in Karnataka today predicted that Rahul Gandhi will be Prime Minister, until the head seer intervened and added a caveat to the blessing. 

The Congress leader was meeting the seers at Sri Murugarajendra Mutt in Chitradurga when one of them, Haveri Hosamutt Swami, said in his address, "Rahul Gandhi will become the PM", as per sources. At this, Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, president of the institution, is learnt to have interrupted and added, "Whoever visits our mutt, they be blessed."

The Lingayats, about 17 per cent of Karnataka's population, are known for their political power. With Mr Gandhi's visit to the poll-bound state, the Congress is hoping to broaden its appeal and project unity within the party too. The elections have to be held by May next year.

After being in power from 2013 to 2018, the Congress briefly formed a government after the 2018 polls, in partnership with the Janata Dal (Secular). That government -- led by JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy -- collapsed in just over a year after several MLAs from the coalition resigned, reducing it to a minority, after which the BJP came to rule to the state again. 

The BJP initially made BS Yediyurappa, from the Lingayat community, the Chief Minister. Last year it replaced him with Basavaraj Bommai, who is also from the same community.

The Congress is struggling with a rift within. Legislature party leader Siddaramaiah and state unit chief DK Shivakumar are both contenders for the CM's post if the party comes to power. 

Rahul Gandhi sought to address this at a meeting of the state unit's political affairs committee on Tuesday night, where he urged the leaders to work together and not speak out publicly, as per a news agency.

Party general secretary KC Venugopal later told reporters, "There is no leadership issue at all. Individual opinion is also not acceptable. The party's new MLAs and the high command will decide on the leader after winning."

"The committee will meet frequently and take collective decisions in the interest of the party. Rahul Gandhi appealed to leaders of the party to go aggressively and unitedly against the misrule of the BJP in Karnataka and at the Centre," he said. adding that it's been unanimously decided not to speak about internal matters in public. "Unknowingly or knowingly some statements are made here and there before the media. Don't fall for that trap... party leaders should not speak in different voices inside or outside," he said.

It was the first meeting of the committee since it was formed on July 9. Besides Mr Gandhi and Mr Venugopal, in attendance were Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, besides the party's campaign committee chief MB Patil, Leader of Opposition in the legislative council BK Hariprasad, and senior leaders such as HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, M Veerappa Moily and G Parameshwara.

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News Network
March 14,2024

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The high-level committee on simultaneous elections, chaired by Ram Nath Kovind, on Thursday met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted its report on 'One Nation, One Election'. The report comprises 18,626 pages.

Home Minister Amit Shah was also present at Rashtrapati Bhawan when Kovind led panel submitted the report.

"Simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be held in first step, followed by local body polls within 100 days in second step," reported PTI quoting the panel.

"Synchronised polls for all three tiers of government to improve governance architecture, in line with quest of aspirational India," it added.

The report has been submitted 191 days after the constitution of the panel on September 2, 2023.

It's further reported that the proposal also puts focus on having a singular electoral roll for holding Lok Sabha, state assembly and local body polls.

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News Network
March 18,2024

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New Delhi, Mar 18: The Election Commission on Monday afternoon issued orders for the removal of six Home Secretaries - including the top bureaucrats from Gujarat, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.

The poll panel also directed the transfer of West Bengal's Director-General of Police, the top cop of a state that has seen several instances of poll-related violence in recent years. The poll panel further said a shortlist of three potential replacements had to be prepared and submitted by 5 pm.

The re-shuffle, not an uncommon move by the Election Commission before major polls, also includes the transfer of the Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand Home Secretaries, as well as senior officials attached to the offices of the Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh Chief Ministers.

In addition, Iqbal Singh Chahal, who is Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and other officials in municipalities across Maharashtra, have been removed too.

All of this comes less than a month before the 2024 Lok Sabha poll; the ECI on Saturday said voting will begin on April 19 and run over seven phases till June 1.

This is, in fact, the first bureaucratic re-jig by the ECI since it announced polling dates.

The ECI's move comes after a meeting of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and his two associates, the newly-appointed Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. This step comes as part of the poll panel's commitment to ensure a level playing field for all political parties in the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, as well as by-polls for 26 seats in 13 states.

Sources said the personnel removed were found to be holding dual charge in the offices of the respective chief ministers of each state, and this could compromise, or be seen to be compromising, required neutrality, particularly in relation to law-and-order before, during and after polling.

Bengal's ruling Trinamool has not yet reacted to the removal of DGP Rajiv Malik, who is seen by some to be close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party. In the past, the state government has questioned the last-minute re-shuffle of senior civil service and police officials so close to an election, arguing it actually hampers prep work since the new faces need time to adjust to the post.

Bengal has frequently witnessed violence during polling season; in June last year over a dozen people were killed across the state as voting for a panchayat election was underway.

The Trinamool accused the opposition of instigating violence and criticised central forces for their failure to protect voters, while the Congress claimed the state had let thugs loose on the people.

While announcing the dates on Saturday, the Chief Election Commissioner said the poll panel would take a very dim view of any violence during the election. Mr Kumar said the ECI is prepared to come down hard on any such incident. "We're putting political parties on notice," he declared.

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News Network
March 26,2024

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has detained two suspects in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Bengaluru, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

The preliminary probe has revealed that the two suspects were in direct contact with the suspected bomber.

The NIA sleuths have picked up the suspects from an area in the state capital. However, a statement is yet to be made by the NIA in this regard.

Even as the investigating agencies, both NIA and state special wing CCB teams have launched an extensive search operation in various states, the bomber has remained elusive. The authorities had obtained the bomber’s images and videos from CCTV footage on March 1, soon after the incident.

Sources said that the sleuths were suspecting that the bomber had come from Tamil Nadu and was staying in a neighbouring state for two months before carrying out the blast.

The hair samples of the accused were gathered from the hat of the accused which he abandoned in Bengaluru near a religious place. The authorities have sent the samples for the DNA testing and were hoping for a breakthrough.

The Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast took place on March 1 on the International Technology Park Limited (ITPL) road in the Brookfield area. Low intensity Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to carry out the blast and nine persons were injured in the incident.

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