BELAGAVI: AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said on Thursday that the Election Commission of India (ECI), which was once a neutral body, is now controlled by the PM. The election commissioner was in the past elected by a three-member group comprising the Chief Justice of India, the Leader of Opposition, and the PM. Unfortunately, such an important institution has fallen into the pocket of Narendra Modi today. It is like a pen in Modis pocket, and hes using i

SHIVAMOGGA: Tamil Nadu BJP president, K Annamalai, said on Thursday that the BJP will emerge stronger than before in South India when the results of the ongoing General Elections are declared on June 4. Speaking to media persons here, Annamalai said that with a big contribution from Karnataka, followed by Telangana, the BJP would also open its account in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He said the NDA would also emerge victorious in Puducherry and Goa. He said the BJP was at present in the third spot in

BENGALURU: Sanvi Jain from Karnataka has secured the all-India female rank for JEE Mains (Joint Entrance Examination) -2024. She secured AIR 34 to become the female topper while Shayna Sinha from Delhi secured the second rank. Both the candidates secured 100 NTA (National Testing Agency) score. The entrance exam is conducted for admission into various undergraduate engineering programmes such as Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) and Bachelors of Technology (B.Tech). The results for the same were ann

KARWAR: Senior geologist Asha MS, who was attacked by a group of people involved in illegal sand extraction, has written to the Uttara Kannada police requesting protection for the scientists of Geological Survey of India. Asha had visited the Aaroli village in Honnavar taluk, on Wednesday, to raid an illegal sand mining site. However, she was stopped by a group of 12 locals, who abused her and issued a death threat. The geologist returned to Honnavar and went straight to the police to register a

BENGALURU: In a relief to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed police not to precipitate the complaint registered against him for allegedly inducing, indirectly threatening and blackmailing voters of a residential complex in the city during a campaign in Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly segment, which comes under Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, from where his brother DK Suresh is contesting. Justice Krishna S Dixit passed the interim order after

MADIKERI: With wildlife conflict at peak due to the water crisis across Kodagu, special teams of foresters will be deployed at wildlife-sensitive polling stations. Sensitive and highly sensitive wildlife zones have been identified even as foresters have been deployed to ensure safety of voters during the polling process. Sources said the Chief Conservator of Forests has directed forest officers to deploy staff in wildlife sensitive areas. Similarly, Madikeri DCF Bhaskar confirmed that staff have

BIDAR/BENGALURU: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP intensifying their attacks on the Congress over Muslim quota, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the 4% reservation for Muslims has been in force in Karnataka since 1994 as per the Chinnappa Reddy Commissions recommendation. In Bidar, the CM said some people approached the Supreme Court during the tenure of the previous BJP government, headed by Basavaraj Bommai, seeking rollback of the reservation given to the Muslim commu

BENGALURU: From free Benne dosa, filter coffee, and ghee laddu to free beer for the first 50 customers, eateries in Bengaluru are all set to treat voters with tempting offers to increase voter turnout. Besides, cab aggregators also joined hands with Rapido, offering free rides to senior citizens and specially-abled voters across Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and Mysuru. PC Rao, president of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association (BBHA) told TNIE, The initiative seeks to boost voter turnout, particularly in

BENGALURU: Bengaluru, the tech capital and state capital, is not important only for the income it generates, but also for the population it houses, more so the number of voters. All eyes are on all four parliamentary constituencies -- Bangalore Rural, North, and Central. Political parties, candidates and election officials have left no stone unturned to ensure the voting percentage rises. As per District Election Officer Tushar Girinath, the overall voter percentage in Bengaluru was around 54% i

VIJAYAPURA: Former Congress president and MP, Rahul Gandhi, will campaign for partys Vijayapura candidate Raju Algur on April 26. The event will be held on the new BLDE College premises on Solapur Road on the outskirts of Vijayapura. Rahul will be the first national level leader of any party to visit the district to campaign this elections. He is expected to be joined by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala and other prominent leader

SHIGGOAN/HAVERI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday hit out at the BJP government and leaders of the state. He said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi should be ashamed as he had done nothing for his constituency or the state. All BJP MPs in the state are afraid to speak to PM Narendra Modi, and demand our share, he taunted. Siddaramaiah was addressing the Prajadhwani-2 in Shiggoan taluk of Haveri district. He alleged that the BJP-JDS alliance is an illicit one, and leaders of both parties have s

HUBBALLI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in Hubballi that the murder of Neha Hiremath is an unfortunate one and probe is being done from all the angles. I have informed the CID team to look into the demand made by Nehas parents to know if there are more people involved in the murder conspiracy, he said. Addressing the media after meeting Nehas parents on Thursday evening, the CM said that he has not come to visit them to indulge in politics but has come to console the grieving family. The gove

BENGALURU: In the last 17 Lok Sabha elections, including those held when Karnataka was Mysore state, Karnataka never touched 70 per cent polling. Now, with 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state to polls on Friday, Election Commission officials are hoping that polling will reach 72 per cent. This time, there are 58,834 polling stations in Karnataka. As per data available with TNIE, the 2019 polling percentage of 68.81 is the highest ever in Lok Sabha polls in the state. Chief Electoral Officer, Karnata

BENGALURU: Polling in 14 constituencies of south and coastal Karnataka in Phase-2 Lok Sabha 2024 elections will begin at 7am and end at 6pm on Friday. However, given the weather conditions and heat wave alert issued by the India Meteorological Department, officials at the Chief Electoral Officers (CEO) office said all those who enter the polling booth premises till 6pm will be allowed to vote beyond that time. To ensure smooth polling this time, keeping in mind previous incidents, the CEOs offic

BENGALURU: The soaring temperatures have helped Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) with its Nandini brand break its own records by selling 16.5 lakh litres of curd and 51 lakh litres of milk in single-day sales. Not just the staple products, but ice creams have also seen an uptick in sales with a 40% increase from last year, the highest ever for KMF. MK Jagadish, Managing Director of KMF, told TNIE that heat is one of the reasons, while during April particularly between April 9 and 15 festivals s

BENGALURU: Rain deficit, harsh summer and evaporation have reduced the water level in major reservoirs of the state to less than 25% of their total storage capacity. As per the latest data, 14 major reservoirs now have 217.75 tmcft of water as against their total storage capacity of 895.62 tmcft. This is less than 25% of the total storage. During the same time last year, the reservoirs had 269 tmcft of water. Tungabhadra has 3.77 tmcft of water as against its storage capacity of 105.79 tmcft. KR

MYSURU: In a startling revelation that has sparked widespread concern, the BJP in Mysuru stands accused of engaging in a significant electoral violation, casting a shadow on the upcoming polls. Several messages have been circulating on BJP WhatsApp groups and communities, hinting at potential voter intimidation tactics. The messages, allegedly originating from a WhatsApp group named King Yaduveer MP for Mysuru have made the shocked community apprehensive. One message, comprising six points (in K

MYSURU: Apart from deciding the fate of candidates, the elections to the 14 Lok Sabha seats that will go to polls on Friday, will be a battle of prestige for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar, Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa and JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy. The two blocs -- Congress, and BJP and its ally JDS -- are waging a bitter contest in the high-stake battle for Old Mysuru region of Southern Karnataka where a majority of the seats fall. Chief Minister Sidda

BENGALURU: Over 2.88 crore eligible voters will cast their franchise on April 26 in the Phase-2 of polling in south and coastal Karnatakas 14 parliamentary constituencies, including those in the state capital. Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, Manoj Kumar Meena, said there are 2,88,19,342 voters in Phase-2, of which 1,44,28,099 voters are male, 1,43,88,176 female and 3,067 third gender. Meena also launched the Chunavane app on Wednesday. It is available on Playstore and citizens can download i

BENGALURU: The Congress candidates from Bengaluru on Wednesday released a vision document, a separate manifesto for the sustainable growth of the five Lok Sabha constituencies: Bangalore North, Central, South, and Rural, and Chikkaballapura. Congress candidate for Bengaluru North, Prof MV Rajeev Gowda, said that the candidates have decided not to work as individual MPs but as a team for the development of the IT City. After we get elected, we will go to Delhi and bring funds to ensure that there

AFZALPUR(KALABURAGI DISTRICT): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said while the promises made by the BJP in its manifesto remained hallow, the Congress has always fulfilled its assurances made to voters. At a massive election meeting in Afzalpur town on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah asked people what happened to the PMs promises of giving Rs 15 lakh to every one by bringing back black money, providing 2 crore jobs every year and doubling the income of farmers? These promises have not even been realised even

BENGALURU: District Returning Officer and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath called upon all voters, including students, to create awareness on voting without any inducement. At a voting awareness programme at Krupanidhi Group of Institutions near Gunjur, Mahadevapura, he said, If you want to vote, but dont know how to go ahead then the first task to do is to download the voter helpline software. If you enter your voter ID card number into the software,

BENGALURU: The Second PUC Exam-2 is scheduled to take place from April 29 to May 16, with a total of 1.49 lakh students registered for the examination. In the Arts stream, a total of 52,492 students have registered including 19,987 girls. In the Commerce stream, there are a total of 39,427 students with about 14,525 girls candidates. The Science stream will have 57,381 students, almost evenly split between boys and girls. For exam-2, of the total 301 exam centres, there are 17 exam centres with

BENGALURU: The final randomisation of polling officials for the Lok Sabha elections was conducted by District Election Officer and BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath on Wednesday in the presence of general observers. With Bengalurus three Lok Sabha constituencies going for voting on April 26, vulnerable and critical polling stations were randomised. Three Lok Sabha constituencies - Bangalore Central, North and South -- comes under the jurisdiction of the DEO - Bengaluru Urban. In all, 24 as

BENGALURU: About 83% of women car owners advocate for an increased presence of women traffic police personnel on roads, reveals a survey conducted by Park+, an app for car owners. Additionally, 81% of car owners, irrespective of gender, demand a friendlier traffic police force. Furthermore, a staggering 98% of car owners demand better road infrastructure from political contenders in 2024. Park+ conducted a comprehensive survey aimed at gauging the expectations of car owners from political partie

KOPPAL: A youth from Gangavati has claimed that he was assaulted for raising Jai Shri Ram slogan in a bar. The incident reportedly happened in Gangavati on Tuesday night when Kumar Rathod raised Jai Shri Ram slogan and a group of youth from another community assaulted him. Rathod, who sustained minor injuries, was being treated at Gangavati taluk hospital. Police visited the place and examined the CCTV footage. Rathod said, I was having a drink inside the bar when my friend Feroz Khan came and j

BENGALURU: Congress workers staged a protest against the BJP and the Union government after IT raids were conducted on the residences of Congress candidate and incumbent MP DK Sureshs aide on Wednesday. The IT raids were conducted on Gangadhar, a former Councillor and an associate of Suresh. Speaking to reporters during a campaign rally at Kanakapura on Wednesday, DyCM and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar said the IT Department is conducting raids on Congress workers deliberately to prevent them from el

BENGALURU: Normally during elections, webcasting is done in select polling booths that are termed sensitive. But for the first time in this Lok Sabha elections, webcasting is being done for two parliamentary constituencies of Bangalore Rural and Kodagu- Mysore. Karnataka CEO Manoj Kumar Meena on Wednesday said the state has 58,871 polling booths, of which 30,602 are under Phase-2 and 28,269 under Phase-3. Under Phase-2, webcasting is being done in 19,701 polling booths and 1,370 will be monitore

HUBBALLI: In a scathing attack on BJP, AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday termed the saffron party as the new East India Company and charged that duplicity, diversionary tactics and divide and rule are in the DNA of that party. Talking to the media here, he hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his controversial remarks on the Congress manifesto and minority Muslims. He said that since Modi does not have anything to say n his 10 years in off

HUBBALLI: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said here on Wednesday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called up the father of Neha Hiremath, who was brutally stabbed to death on the college campus by her former classmate last Thursday, five days after the incident to cut political losses ahead of the Lok Sabha polls as the public sentiment is totally against the state government. He told reporters that Siddaramaiah has no real concern for Nehas family. If he had, he would have cal

BENGALURU: A total of 2,59,52,958 people will vote under Phase-3 of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7 in the 14 constituencies of north and central Karnataka. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena on Wednesday said Chikkodi, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Viajaypura, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Ballari, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga will vote on May 7. These constituencies have a total of 1,29,83,406 male voters, 1,29,67,607 female and 1,945 third gender voter

AFZALPUR(KALABURAGI DISTRICT): Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that the Congress wants to snatch the mangalsutra of women as part of its intention to redistribute wealth, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the PM should not stoop to such lows, which is a shameful act. Addressing an election meeting at Afzalpur in Kalaburagi district, Kharge said Modi was comparing the Congress manifesto with that of the Muslim Leagues. I do not know what has happened to the P

BENGALURU: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heat wave alert for most parts of Karnataka for five days from Thursday and has advised people to avoid venturing out between 11am and 4pm. It has issued hot and humid weather along with heat wave conditions during the period for most parts of India, including Konkan and Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The department has also issued an orange alert for Karnataka -- high mercury levels

BENGALURU: With the majority Vokkaliga vote in Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency expected to split be down the middle, the Congress and BJP candidates are not leaving any stone unturned to woo smaller castes and communities. Vokkaligas constitute 36-45% of the population in almost all of the eight assembly constituencies that make up Bangalore Rural. After them, small communities like Thigalas, Gollas, Kumbaras, Kurubas, Besthas, Ganigas, Devanga, Vishwakarma, Bhovis and Lambanis among othe

BENGALURU: Union Home Minister Amit Shahs rally for backward classes at Kibbanahalli Cross in Tumakuru Lok Sabha constituency, scheduled to be held on Wednesday, was cancelled. He was to campaign for party candidate V Somanna. In 2019, Shah had taken part in the roadshow for sitting MP G S Basavaraju on the last day of the campaign. This time, though preparations were made, the rally was cancelled due to paucity of time, according to sources. We dont know why Shahs rally was cancelled as the dec

MANDYA: The fight for the Vokkaliga heartland has turned into a prestige battle for former CM HD Kumaraswamy and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar, and is likely to go down to the wire. Both parties took out massive roadshows on Wednesday, the last day of campaigning, to charge up the atmosphere. The Congress initially gained the upper hand by playing the local card and calling Kumaraswamy an outsider. It also accused Kumaraswamy of dumping secular values to join hands with the BJP. The JDS and Kumaraswa

BENGALURU: It is a common sight to see autorickshaw drivers putting up additional registration number plates printed on paper, laminated and displayed on their autos, referring to the numbers for multiple ride-booking apps like Ola and Uber. I recently booked an auto to head home. An auto arrived at the location and was waiting for me. When we booked a ride, the vehicle registration number was shown to us. But the vehicle that arrived had a different registration number, said Megha, a college st

BENGALURU: Following Income Tax department raids against those supporting Congress leaders, experts are questioning the bias of searches and seizures against the opposition alone. Professor Trilochan Shastri, a member and trustee of Association for Democratic Reforms, said, This should be investigated. The law should apply equally to all. Selective raids during elections, and only against the opposition, are unprecedented. MG Devasahayam, retired IAS officer and a member of the Constitutional Co

BENGALURU: The high-voltage public campaigning in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, including those in Bengaluru, ended on Wednesday evening. Polling in these constituencies will be held on Friday. Candidates and their supporters have resorted to a door-to-door campaign in their constituencies. Before the mikes fell silent, campaigning in south and coastal regions reached a crescendo with top leaders from all three political parties going the whole hog to woo voters. Karnataka is a key s

MANGALURU: Newbies Capt Brijesh Chowta from the BJP and Padmaraj R Poojary from the Congress are sweating it out in BJP stronghold Dakshina Kannada constituency. While Chowta hopes to continue the BJP's winning streak in the constituency, Padmaraj is leaving no stone unturned to breach the saffron fortress. In interviews with The New Indian Express , both the candidates revealed their plans for the district and commented on various issues. Padmaraj R Poojary (Congress) What is your poll pitch? D

MADIKERI: A herd of wild elephants were rescued from a private lake in Kodagu. The incident was reported from Kumturu village near Srimangala of South Kodagu. Meanwhile, in another incident, commuters on Madikeri-Mysuru highway were panic-stricken after a wild elephant came charging at them. During midnight hours on Tuesday, a herd of 12 elephants barged into an estate owned by coffee grower Bachangada Deepak. After raiding crops, the herd visited the massive lake located inside the estate. Afte

HASSAN: Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on 'wealth redistribution', former PM and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda asked if the Congress leader thought he was a Maoist leader who dreams of a revolution. He also said Rahul has insulted former Congress Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh who brought economic reforms and increased the wealth of the nation. Gowda said Rahul is indirectly trying to say that whatever the two Congress PMs did was wrong. He has torn their econom

MADIKERI: A grand roadshow promoting Yaduveer Wadiyar, the BJP candidate for the Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency, which includes Kodagu, was held at Virajpet on Wednesday. Hundreds of BJP workers took part in the rally on the last day of campaigning. The road show started off with the traditional chande performance and flowers were showered on Yaduveer. After offering puja at Dakshina Mariyamma Temple, the road show continued across the town limits. A chande team of women also joined the road show

Modi & Shah are sellers and Ambani-Adani are buyers: Kharge's sharp attack on BJP-led Centre

BENGALURU: To discourage people from heading out of the city to tourist destinations, religious places or their home towns on polling day (April 26), District Election Officer Tushar Girinath requested transport operators to offer services only after noon when citizens would have cast their votes. Girinath, who is also BBMP chief commissioner, held a meeting with representatives of maxi cab, stage carriage, contract carriage operators and others in the transport sector on Monday. As polling day

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, and other senior Congress leaders, including ministers, staged a protest against the Centre over the delay in releasing drought relief funds . Siddaramaiah, Amit Shah spar over non-release of central funds for drought relief in Karnataka Speaking to reporters after the protest, Siddaramaiah alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah hate Karnataka and its farmers. Despite the

BELAGAVI: An FIR has been registered against IPS officer Ravindra Gadadi (who is a native of Belagavi) and 13 others for assaulting a family and threatening to kill them for using the water from an open well meant for the public at Aigali village of Athani taluk. The FIR has been registered against a total 14 people in which accused number one is IPS officer Ravindra Gadadi. There are allegations against them for assaulting the couple and their son by these accused over silly reasons. A complain

MANGALURU: Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Tuesday said people of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should rise above emotions and work for the betterment of both states on the Mekedatu project and Cauvery water sharing. 100 percent, there is (water) problem in Karnataka and there is no dispute about it. Water is an issue in Bengaluru. But that is because of Congress misgovernance. Today, we need to rise above emotions and think about the welfare of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Mekedatu dam pro

BENGALURU: Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday hinted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are keen on inducting his son-in-law Dr CN Manjunath, the BJP contestant for Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency, into the Union Cabinet. Gowda added that he will not rest until he removes the current state government from power. Gowda, who campaigned for Dr Manjunath in Ramanagara district on Tuesday, said that Manjunath has performed over eight lakh operations

BENGALURU: AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on issues like price rise, rising unemployment and the education sector. Todays elections are being run on emotions. BJP says if you vote Congress, mangalsutras and gold have to be pawned. But I want to remind him that Indira Gandhi sold gold to take care of jawans. My mother lost her mangalsutra (Rajiv assassination). If Modi understands the value of mangalsutra, he would not have spoke