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Congress expels two rebel candidates in Karnataka

April 6, 2019, 7:10 pm
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Politics
Amrit Shenoy and Shanul Haq decided to contest the elections as independent candidates against the candidates fielded by the Congress-JD(S) alliance.
IANS
Amrit Shenoy has decided to contest from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru
The Congress on Saturday expelled two party members for contesting against candidates it fielded jointly with ruling coalition partner Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in two Karnataka Lok Sabha seats."Rebel candidates Amrith Shenoy and Shanul Haq have been expelled from the party for contesting against official candidates in Udupi-Chickmagalur and Bidar parliamentary seats," Congress state General Secretary Shafi Hajulla said in a statement here. Amrit, a popular grassroots level leader from Udupi, is in the fray for the Udupi-Chickmagalur seat as an Independent against JD-S candidate Pramod Madhwaraj. He decided to contest after the Congress opted to hand over the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency over to the JD(S) in spite of the latter's limited presence in the region. The JD(S) could not finalise a candidate from its party and eventually turned to Congress leader Pramod Madhwaraj.  Meanwhile, Shanul is contesting as a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate from Bidar where party's state Working President Eshwar Khandre is the official nominee. Polling in Udupi-Chickmagalur is on April 18 in the first phase and in Bidar in the second phase on April 23. Vote counts in both the seats are on May 23. Under the pre-poll seat sharing arrangement, Congress is contesting from 21 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state and JD-S in the remaining 7 seats. Sitting members Shobha Karandlaje and Bhagwanth Khuba (both Bharatiya Janata Party) are re-contesting from Udupi-Chickmagalur and Bidar respectively. State Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao warned party's state leaders and cadres working against official candidates of both the ruling allies."In the interest of the party, the leaders and cadres in every parliamentary seat have been directed to campaign for the official candidates fielded jointly by the parties. Anti-party activities, including dissidence and revolt against the official candidates will not be tolerated," he said in a statement. The party is facing revolt in Hassan, Mandya and Tumkur Lok Sabha constituencies where its leaders and cadres are refusing to campaign for the JD-S candidates, all members of the family of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. While Prajwal Revanna is contesting from Hassan, Nikhil Kumaraswamy is in the fray from Mandya. The grandsons of Deve Gowda, they are the sons of state PWD Minister H.D. Revanna and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy respectively. Deve Gowda is contesting from Tumkur. Meanwhile, in Mysore, JD-S leaders and cadres have refused to campaign for Congress candidate Vijayashankar, contesting against BJP's outgoing member Pratap Simha. Though both the allies fought against each other in the May 2018 assembly elections, they formed a post-poll alliance to form the coalition government to keep the BJP out of power in the state.
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Yeddyurappa’s slum stay before K’taka polls cost us Rs 11,000 says host

April 6, 2019, 7:29 pm
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The BJP leader had reportedly requested that a western-style commode be fitted instead of the existing Indian one as it would be uncomfortable for him.
TNM Staff
State BJP President BS Yeddyurappa's stay in a slum at Laxmanapuri slum in Gandhinagar in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections last year has proved costly for the host Muniratna, an autorickshaw driver. The visit appears to have cost the family Rs. 11,000. Yeddyurappa had decided to stay in a slum for a night in February 2018 to gain first-hand experience of the problems suffered by people living in slums. However, he requested that a western-style commode be fitted instead of the existing Indian one as it would be uncomfortable for him. The BJP bore the cost of modification. However, Indrani (64), who lives in the house with her son Munirathna, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, was not impressed when neither Yeddyurappa nor the BJP contacted the family after the visit. The family, which was uncomfortable using a western-style commode, decided to revert to using an Indian commode which cost Rs. 15,000 to be put in place again."We are not used to the western commode. In fact, I fell and hurt myself. Then we decided to change it to our old style. We removed the western toilet and constructed a new Indian style one and had to spend Rs 15,000 from our pocket. When we asked our local leaders, they paid us only Rs 4,000,’’ Indrani said, speaking to The New Indian Express. Residents of Lakshmanpuri slum in Bengaluru experience several problems including uneven roads, frequent power cuts, irregular water supply and Indrani says she had to add a toilet to this list. The visit to the slum was an attempt by the BJP to woo voters in urban areas. Other senior leaders like Jagadish Shettar and KS Eshwarappa had also slept in houses in slums in Hubballi and Shivamogga respectively in the run-up to the state elections and the party also released a socio-economic survey of slums in the state.
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Mangaluru horror: 17-year-old allegedly raped by father and uncle

April 6, 2019, 8:11 pm
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Crime
After the arrest of the girl’s uncle, who has been accused of raping the minor, the girl told the police that her father too has been sexually assaulting her for nearly a year.
Theja Ram
A harrowing case of child sexual abuse has come to light in Karnataka's Bantwal region where a 42-year-old man has been accused of repeatedly raping his minor daughter. The Bantwal Police, who are investigating the case, learnt of the abuse suffered by the 17-year-old girl after the arrest of her uncle, who has also been accused of raping her. On Thursday afternoon, the girl's mother approached the police in Mangaluru and filed a complaint alleging that her brother-in-law, Abdul*, had raped her daughter."On Wednesday, the girl and her mother had travelled from Bantwal to Ullal to visit Abdul's ailing mother. Abdul's mother had taken ill and was admitted to a local hospital. The girl and her mother visited her in the hospital and later gone to Abdul's home," the Ullal Police told TNM. On Wednesday night, Abdul allegedly raped the minor girl and threatened her with dire consequences if she spoke about it. "Abdul is said to have told the victim that she is old enough to be a woman. The next morning, the girl informed her mother about the incident after which her mother approached us," the Ullal Police added. The police have registered an FIR under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and sections 4 (penetrative sexual assault) and 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. Abdul was arrested on Thursday and upon questioning him, the investigators found that the minor girl's father Ali* (42)  too had been raping the girl for nearly a year. "When we questioned Abdul, he told us that he had information that the minor girl's father had been raping her for nearly a year. Abdul said he thought that he too could force the girl to have sex with him since her father was doing the same. We immediately informed the Child Line officials," the Ullal Police added. On Friday, the Child Line officials visited the girl's home and asked her about Abdul's accusations. "The girl confirmed to Child Line officials that her father Ali had been raping her as well," the police said. The Bantwal Rural Police have registered an FIR against Ali as well, under section 376 (rape) of the IPC and sections 4 (penetrative sexual assault) and 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. The father is on the run."So far, the father has not been arrested since he absconded. We are looking for him," the Bantwal police added. (*Names changed)
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Royal Challengers Bangalore bat for waste segregation at Chinnaswamy stadium

April 7, 2019, 1:38 am
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Waste management
To further their ‘Game for Green’ campaign, the team has urged fans to clean up after themselves before leaving the stadium.
TNM Staff
PTI photo
That Bengaluru and most major cities have a waste management problem is nothing new. So, it is always heartening when influential people take up the cause and urge their fans and followers to do their bit. IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore recently batted for the cause waste segregation and asked fans to ensure that they dispose of waste responsibly. On Saturday, RCB tweeted that segregating waste into wet and dry helps in recycling and that those coming to Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium should do so using the designated dustbins at the stadium. “Challengers, the next time you visit the stadium, stump the right bin!” RCB said. Segregating waste as wet and dry makes recycling easier. There are wet and dry waste bins at Chinnaswamy Stadium for segregation. Challengers, the next time you visit the stadium, stump the right bin! #CleanSweep #BattingForThePlanet #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/uHpHQXRQlg — Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 6, 2019 Join the RCB team on the #GameForGreen journey as we campaign to recycle, reuse and reduce waste. The large amount of waste generated each day can be converted into valuable resource, when segregated & recycled. Challengers, let’s not make a total waste of our waste! #CleanSweep pic.twitter.com/J6JiwfPWMe — Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 6, 2019 RCB followed this up with another tweet on Sunday, pointing out that one of their longest running fan associations – RCB Fan Army – was supporting this initiative as well. One of our longest running fan associations is taking this step towards a greener & cleaner city, involving as many young Challengers as possible. Kudos to @rcbfanarmy for organising this, teaching these kids a valuable lesson, and creating a new experience for them! #playBold https://t.co/H6PKHcsb77— Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 7, 2019 RCB Fan Army, along with 40 children from Samarthanam, an NGO for the persons with disabilities, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association conducted awareness about waste segregation at Cubbon Park in the city on Sunday afternoon. The Fan Association tied up with the International Institute of Waste Management for the same. Royal Challengers Bangalore will play Delhi Capitals on Sunday. Using the match to further their ‘Game for Green’ campaign, RCB again urged fans to clean up after themselves before leaving the stadium. “Together we can make this a reality. Let’s make a #CleanSweep for a clean, green, sustainable environment.” Imagine a stadium left with no trace of litter. Fans clean up after themselves and dispose trash in the right dustbin before leaving. Together we can make this a reality. Let’s make a #CleanSweep for a clean, green, sustainable environment. #BattingForThePlanet #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/ucUfZL86wp — Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 7, 2019 Today we are green army!@RCBTweets ’s most vital initiatives is #RCBGoGreen – a contribution to help move the present world to a greener, healthier state. Let's do our bit and #BringBackTheGreen! pic.twitter.com/oc2EBOWGpO— RCB Bold Brigade (@BoldBrigade) April 7, 2019 #GreenDay - let us take a pledge to keep our surroundings clean for the sake of other beings and ours. ಇದು ನಮ್ಮ ಪರಿಸರ ಮತ್ತು ಅದರ ಸ್ವಚ್ಛತೆ ಕಾಪಾಡುವುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಧರ್ಮ!@RCBTweets #GoGreen #PlayBold #NammaTeamRCB #GardenCity #ನಮ್ಮBoldತಂಡ #RCB #NaavuBengaluru #GameForGreen pic.twitter.com/gg7oFSxzvF — Namma Team RCB Official (@nammateamrcb) April 7, 2019 Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Virat Kohli, has had a disappointing run so far and are yet to win their first match. With five games in the tournament already over, Royal Challengers Bangalore, which has stars like Ab De Villers, needs to be ruthless in their remaining games to book their chance for the semi-finals of the competition.
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To combat air pollution, environment groups set up air quality monitoring devices in Bengaluru

April 7, 2019, 4:39 am
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Pollution
With this, Bengaluru became the first Indian city to participate in the global BreatheLife campaign to combat air pollution.
TNM Staff
A coalition of like-minded environment groups held an inaugural function in Bengaluru on Friday, making it the first Indian city to participate in the global BreatheLife campaign. An initiative by the World Health Organisation, UN Environment, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, BreatheLife campaign aims to mobilise citizens to bring air pollution to safe levels by 2030, and has a network of 55 cities, regions and countries worldwide. Kicking off the campaign in Bengaluru, D Randeep, BBMP's Additional Commissioner for Public Health, along with the 'Healthy Air Coalition' of European non-profit Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL), and Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA), announced the setting up of 40 air quality monitoring units at different places in the city. Of these, 15 are already functional. “We are happy to support initiatives that improve air quality and enhance the quality of life in the city. Bengaluru is the first major Indian city to join the global BreatheLife Campaign, in collaboration with the WHO. We are committed to improve the air quality in the city. Access to data is key in understanding air quality and the availability of data on a centralised platform that is open to the public is the need of the hour. We have extended our support to the initiative and are keen to understand the necessary interventions possible at the local level for improving the health of the public,” said D Randeep at the event held at St John's Research Institute. The network of 15 monitors already in place was set up by HEAL, in collaboration with St John’s Research Institute at Brigade Road, Mathikere, MS Ramaiah City, St John's Research Institute, BBMP Head Office, Bannerghatta Road, Indiranagar, Sarjapur, Ulsoor, Doddanekundi, Banashankari, Springfield Society, JC Road, Basavangudi and Srirampura Referral Hospital."Air pollution planning and mitigation in the country has been largely limited to improving, monitoring and data collection with very little emphasis on the associated health impacts,” said Aishwarya Sudhir, Air Quality Program Lead, HEAL. “If the data needs to translate into action, the health sector needs to step in as an important stakeholder in addressing the issue of air pollution in the city and we believe that, through this initiative, we will be able to prioritise public health and place it at the centre of air quality planning and mitigation in the city.” Live air quality readings from each location which has a monitoring device are available at healthyaircoalition.org. The devices have been installed at a time vehicular population on Bengaluru roads is increasing. A 2012 study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) stated that there were 68 lakh vehicles on the city's roads. However, recent estimates suggest that the number of vehicles in Bengaluru has crossed 80 lakh. The Karnataka government's proposed elevated corridor project has also come under criticism from environmentalists and residents who say it facilitates personal vehicles over public transport.
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Lok Sabha 2019: Only 27 women to contest from Karnataka

April 7, 2019, 5:34 am
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Lok Sabha 2019
On an average, there is less than one woman candidate per Lok Sabha seat in the state. The mean is much higher for men at 18.
Soumya Chatterjee
Women’s representation is cutting a sorry figure in Karnataka this Lok Sabha election, with a total of only 27 women contesting from 28 seats in the state. Only 15 women will be contesting from 14 seats going to polls the first phase on April 18, and 12 women will be seeking mandate from the remaining 14 constituencies voting in the second phase on April 23. These numbers stand out in stark contrast to a total of 496 male candidates in the fray in the state this general election. The seats that go for polls in the first phase are Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagara, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapura and Kolar and will have 227 male candidates in the fray. Meanwhile, Chikkodi, Belagavi, Bagalkote, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Ballari, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere and Shivamogga are the Lok Sabha constituencies going to polls on April 23. And seven among these —Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Bidar, Gulbarga, Haveri and Shivamogga — have no female candidates contesting. Therefore, while there is less than one woman candidate on average per Lok Sabha seat in the state, the mean is much higher for men at 18. Out of the 26 women candidates, only three are from prominent parties – the Congress, JD(S) and the BJP. The Congress, which is batting for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, has only fielded Veena Kashappanavar from Vijayapura. She is the wife of former Congress MLA from Hungund, Vijayananda. Their ally JD(S) has fielded Sunitha Chavan from Bagalkote, who is the wife of Nagathan MLA Devanand. The BJP has stuck with incumbent Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje from the constituency. However, this is not the first time that Karnataka has seen such a low representation of women during elections. In fact, in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, only 20 women were in the fray from the state. Of them, BJP’s Shobha Karandlaje was the only woman to win a seat in the state. Even in the 2018 state assembly elections, barely 8% of the candidates were women and only seven of the 200 who contested got elected into the Assembly. 
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Metro construction threatens B’luru heritage structure, activists file online plea

April 7, 2019, 5:49 am
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Environment
An online petition seeking an alternate plan to the metro construction, fearing damage to the All Saints Church on Hosur Road has gone viral.
Soumya Chatterjee
More than a century old, the All Saints Church in Richmond Town on Hosur Road in central Bengaluru is a reminiscence of what the Garden City used to be. The church complex alone is home to more than a 100 trees, with lush green lawns that are dotted with benches. Other than the greenery, there is also a school for children with learning and cognitive disabilities and an old age home. But with the planned metro construction for the Dairy Circle to Nagawara line (part of the Namma Metro Phase II), some fear all of this will be lost. While the stretch will be mostly underground, a proposed station will replace this school and old age home along with the tree cover. Many fear that the construction activity will impact the heritage church structure itself. “Half of the church complex will go. With all the tunnel digging and drilling, it will affect the heritage structure of the 150-year-old church,” activist Arun Prasad said. Activists concerned with conserving the remnants of Bengaluru’s famed green cover have lent support to the cause. A Change.org petition seeking a change in plan from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited has been supported by more than 6,400 people within a day. Joseph Hoover, a conservationist and part of the United Conservation Movement, said, “As many as 80 trees, some over 100 years old, are expected to be cut at All Saints Church compound. This could be avoided as Bengaluru is already in the throes of a severe water crisis. We cannot afford to lose so many trees. Also, the pollution level is barely 2 PPM away from irrecoverable disaster. Already the children and elderly are choking. The trees are a roosting spot many species of birds. The rare Paradise Flycatcher is a common sight in this micro-climate ecosystem.” The activists also fear that the lush green campus will be converted to a dumpsite. The petition states that the church has already given over two acres of land to Bangalore Metro Water and through which the surrounding areas like Ashok Nagar, Langford Town, Richmond Town and Austin Town get drinking water. The commercial property the ground owned, which housed a petrol pump, Toms Hotel, Fatima Bakery and Daniel Garage, has already been handed to BMRCL for the same metro project. Hoover added, “BMRCL could possibly use the open, barren space at the Central Military Police for its temporary workshop. This would be a win-win situation for all concerned. Trees could be saved. Birds could continue to roost and thrive. Development also could be done and pollution could be controlled.” Read: B'luru's Fatima Bakery, Hotel Tom's may shut shop in May for Namma Metro Officials allay fears However, BMRCL MD Ajay Seth has tried to allay fears, stating that there will not be any damage to the church building. “The fears are entirely misplaced. There won’t be any damage to the church building. We have done this kind of work in Bengaluru, especially in the busy Chickpet area earlier during Phase-I. We have done several underground stations then, like in front of HAL office, Vidhan Soudha and nothing has happened to any of the buildings. The station will come in the vacant area adjoining the road and not below the church. And another part of the station will come in the Army land," BMRCL MD Ajay Seth told TNM.  ”We have been talking extensively to the church authorities and have taken their suggestions. Regarding the school and old age home, we have suggested that we can help them in hiring an adjoining building for the next couple of years and if they want us to build those buildings once the metro station is ready, that can also be done,” he added
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BBMP to pilot blockchain-based solution to address Bengaluru’s garbage complaints

April 7, 2019, 6:48 pm
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Civic Issues
The pilot will be funded by a non-profit CITAG -- Citizen Involved & Technology assisted Governance, which is mentored by senior Karnataka-based IAS officer Captain Manivannan.
Soumya Chatterjee
While there is no end to the garbage problem in Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will start a pilot project of using blockchain technology to make its complaint redressal systems more transparent and accountable. A blockchain is a series of unchangeable record of data that is managed by a cluster of computers not owned by any single entity. Each of these blocks of data (i.e. block) are secured and connected to each other using cryptographic principles (i.e. chain). The pilot will be funded by a non-profit CITAG -- Citizen Involved & Technology assisted Governance, which is mentored by senior Karnataka-based IAS officer Captain Manivannan.The project will be funded by the fellowship that Manivannan has obtained from Harvard University. “CITAG approached us with a proposal that they would develop a blockchain-based complaints grievance system at their own cost. Blockchain technology will make it tamper-proof. So all players on the platform can see actions that have been taken regarding a complaint. There is a lot of data integrity and transparency involved in having such a blockchain-based helpline. Different stages of the redressal will be visible to everybody,” Randeep D, BBMP Special Commissioner told TNM. He added, “The complainants can post their reactions vis-a-vis their satisfaction to the steps taken to address his/her complaint. This level of transparency will exist so that there is some pressure on officials also to deliver on the ground and so that it reflects online as well.” Based on the success of the pilot project, the BBMP will decide if it will be expanded. GR Chandran, co-founder of CITAG, said that they have got a green signal from the BBMP and the pilot is expected to begin in the first week of June. “The key differentiating factor will be — you will have better information about the complaint you are raising, that is not just the status of the complaint but also exact information of who is currently handling the problem, when it is expected to get resolved. If it is not resolved within the expected time period, it will be escalated and will get more traction within BBMP,” he said. “We also plan to launch a rating/ review system with respect to complaint redressal based on jurisdiction or staff member,” he added.  
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33-year-old Bengaluru man found murdered after he went out to gamble on Ugadi

April 7, 2019, 8:38 pm
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Crime
Police are trying to ascertain the motive of the crime and a probe is on.
TNM Staff
Representational image
Going out for gambling proved too costly for a 33-year-old Bengaluru man on the night of Ugadi, as he was found murdered later. Ramesh, who owned a real estate agency in the city had gone out to gamble with his friends in the late hours of Saturday. According to reports, Ramesh had won a lot of money and while he was returning to his Hosakerahalli residence, he picked up a fight with his fellow gamblers. He was stabbed multiple times and his body was dumped in Krishnappa Layout. Deccan Herald reported that his body was discovered by a senior citizen of the area who informed the police. His body was sent for postmortem. "Ramesh's body was found in Krishnappa Layout. He was lying in vest and pant and he had no money. The killers have hit on his head with a heavy object, killing him on the spot,” a policeman told Deccan Chronicle. A case has been registered at Rajarajeshwari Nagar Police Station and probe is on. While police are trying to ascertain the cause of the murder, they found no money on him. This has led to the suspicion that he was killed for money. Police suspect the killer(s) are residents of Bangarappadoddi, Hosakerahalli. Police have also collected CCTV footage of the local spots to try and identify the culprits.  A team of sleuths who visited Hosakerehalli, questioned locals and said that Ramesh had been gambling in a temple till 11pm. They also got details of other persons involved in gambling activities. Ramesh was living with his wife Laxmi Bai and their son Ritesh. According to his wife, he had left home at 7pm on Saturday but never returned. Following this, they went to the police station to file a missing person complaint on Sunday morning.
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K’taka BJP leader Eshwarappa allegedly receives threat call, seeks police protection

April 7, 2019, 8:46 pm
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Crime
Eshwarappa said the threat call was a reaction to his speech made in Koppal regarding candidature of Muslims.
TNM Staff
Senior BJP leader and Shivamogga MLA KS Eshwarappa has approached the police claiming that he received a threat call on April 5. The caller had allegedly objected to his statement where he was heard saying ‘BJP won’t field Muslim candidates as the community does not believe them’. In his complaint to the police, Eshwarappa, also a former Deputy CM, said that he received the call when he was on his way from Bagalkot to Shivamogga. Eshwarappa met Shivamogga SP Ashwini M on Sunday at her office to submit his written complaint, according to The New Indian Express. He also asked for police protection and sent copies of the complaint to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Home Minister MB Patil. The police have begun an investigation, the SP said. “As far as security cover is concerned, the intelligence department will take a call as he travels across the state,” she added. During an event held on April 1, a video of which was aired on TV channels and also went viral on social media, Eshwarappa had said, “The Congress believed Muslims were vote bank. But because Muslims have stopped voting for them, they've stopped giving seats to Muslims. We won't give tickets to Muslims in Karnataka. Why? Because you don't believe in us. Believe us and we'll see." Eshwarappa was speaking a party gathering where he addressed the Muslim community and his own Kuruba community in Koppal. He made the statement while he was responding to questions about former JD(S) MLA Iqbal Ansari who joined the BJP recently. After his remark received criticism, he offered a clarification. On Twitter, he later said, “Correction:I'm not the hater of any community including Muslims. My statement was about a question asked will "Iqbal ansari" get ticket from BJP?Whenever a new person joins he is not given any post,he has to work hard and earn the post,similarly i had mentioned about Iqbal Ansari (sic).”
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Simultaneous elections, Uniform Civil Code and more: BJP manifesto highlights

April 8, 2019, 12:54 am
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Lok Sabha 2019
The manifesto promises to make India the third largest economy in the world and to make India a $5 trillion economy by 2025.
Haripriya Suresh
Nikhita Venugopal
Days ahead of the first phase of polling, the BJP on Monday released its manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Titled ‘Sankalp Patra’, it was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP President Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot were also present. The manifesto promises to make India the third largest economy in the world and to make India a $5 trillion economy by 2025. Here are the highlights: Reservation: The party has committed to 33% reservation for women in Parliament in state Assemblies through a Constitutional amendment. They have also promised 10% reservation in government jobs and higher education for economically weaker sections of society. For women: Within the ambit of "women empowerment", the BJP has promised a focus on "women led development" by enabling higher numbers of women in the workforce. The party, if elected to power, promises to formulate a 'Women in Workforce' roadmap which it says will encourage industries and corporates to generate better employment opportunities for women. In a bid to further the same, the BJP says it will source 10% material for government procurement "from MSMEs having at least 50% women employees in their workforce." The BJP is also promising to focus on making reproductive and menstrual health services easily available to women. The ongoing Suvidha scheme will be expanded to provide sanitary pads to all women and girls for Re 1, the party promised. Childcare: BJP has promised to strengthen childcare services for parents in the unorganised sector. They’ve also proposed the extension of childcare facilities at workplaces to the unorganised sector by leveraging Anganwadis, civil society organisations and the private sector. Presently, any establishment with 50 or more employees is mandated to have a creche. With a view to encourage more women in the workforce, the BJP says it will increase childcare facilities threefold by 2022. Uniform Civil Code: In its manifesto, the BJP has promised to attempt to draw up a Uniform Civil Code “drawing upon the best traditions and harmonizing them with the modern times”. The manifesto says that the BJP doesn’t believe India can have gender equality until a time that Uniform Civil Code is put in place. A long-standing matter of debate, it is based on Article 44 of the Directive Principles in the Constitution, which states that the “State shall endeavour to provide for its citizens a uniform civil code (UCC) throughout the territory of India.” National Register of Citizens: The party has promised to expedite the completion of the controversial National Register of Citizens which contains the names of all Indian citizens in Assam. The exercise, the BJP says, was to identify illegal immigrants and take action. As per the manifesto, the BJP wants to implement this in a phased manner in other parts of the country as well. Citizenship Amendment Bill: The BJP has committed to enacting the Citizenship Amendment Bill that would serve to protect persons of religious minority communities who are escaping persecution from neighbouring countries. The manifesto mentions Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs as the religions that will be given citizenship in India if escaping persecution. Sabarimala: On the controversial Supreme Court decision on women’s entry to Sabarimala temple, the manifesto has said “the subject of faith, tradition and worship rituals related to Sabarimala are presented in a comprehensive manner before the Hon’ble Supreme Court. We will endeavour to secure constitutional protection on issues related to faith and belief.” Defence: Focussing on defence, the BJP has promised to speed up the purchases of outstanding defence-related equipment and weapons, focus on ‘Make in India in Defence’ in order to be self-reliant, leverage untapped employment-generation potential of sectors such as defence, and aims to build six integrated check-posts to facilitate easier trade and travel from the neighbouring countries and aim to conduct all movement through these check-posts with Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Startups: A new scheme to provide collateral-free credit up to Rs 50 lakh for entrepreneurs. This includes a guaranteed 50% of the loan amount for women and 25% of the loan amount for men. Farmers: For farmers, the BJP manifesto promises to double farm income, which it promised during its present tenure as well. It acknowledges this, and says it will be done by 2022. It launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana to provide financial assistance to farmers who own up to two hectares of land, a pension scheme for small and marginal farmers, short-term new agriculture loans up to Rs 1 lakh at no interest for 1-5 years on the condition of prompt repayment of the principal amount, and voluntary enrolment in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for risk mitigation and insurance cover. Jammu and Kashmir: In its manifesto, the party has reiterated its promise on the abrogation of Article 370, which would provide an autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir. The manifesto also mentions the party’s commitment to annul Article 35A “as the provision is discriminatory against non-permanent residents and women of Jammu and Kashmir.” The BJP has also pormised to ensure the "safe return of Kashmiri Pandits" and have committed to providing financial assistance to enable the "resettlement of refugees from West Pakistan, Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Chhamb."  Environment: The National Clean Air Plan will be converted into a “mission” and the party promises to focus on the 102 most polluted cities in India. The manifesto says that the level of pollution in each of these cities will be reduced by at least 35% in the next five years. Transportation: Fifty cities will be covered with a “strong” metro system in the next five years. The party will also launch a National Urban Mobility Mission to provide technology-based mobility solutions for cities to increase the use of public transport, as well as making cities more walkable and cycle friendly. Simultaneous Elections: In an effort to improve the efficiency of government resources and bring down expenditure, the party has said it will move towards simultaneous elections for Parliament, state Assemblies and local bodies. A common voter list for all elections will also be established. In addition to this, the manifesto also promises to lower the tax rate to “reward” honest taxpayers, revise tax slabs and provide incentives, increase access to education, improve urban infrastructure etc.
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Watch: Cong's Krishna Byre Gowda campaigns with a flash mob at Bengaluru mall

April 8, 2019, 1:33 am
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The group of 30 dancers and 25 volunteers surprised the crowd at Orion Mall on Sunday evening.
TNM Staff
Politicians have increasingly turned to new ways to canvass for votes. Narendra Modi used holograms to appear in dozens of rallies at once in 2014. Other leaders have tried catchy satirical songs, expensive roadshows and door-to-door voting. But it is not often that a flash mob breaks out for a politician.  This is exactly what happened in Bengaluru's Orion Mall. With placards in hand, a flash mob danced in an effort to seek votes for Congress candidate for Bengaluru (North) constituency - Krishna Byre Gowda. The group of 30 dancers and 25 volunteers surprised the crowd at the mall on Sunday evening and even held up signs which read 'With You', 'For You' which is the theme of the campaign."This is a cosmopolitan constituency and there are young and old people here and it is important to increase awareness of voting among them. It does not matter who they vote for. It is their choice but in Bengaluru, we have seen a voter turnout lower than 60% so we are trying to reinforce the importance of voting, especially young voters who should vote in large numbers," Krishna Byre Gowda told reporters on the sidelines of the flash mob. The flash mob was organised and executed by volunteers working with the Congress leader who is contesting against Union Minister and incumbent MP Sadananda Gowda of the BJP. The flash mob went ahead even as a member of the crowd chanted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Krishna Byre Gowda reiterated that the choice is up to the voter and encouraged everyone to vote in the upcoming elections. "I believe the job of an MP is to take the voice of the people and make it reverberate in the halls of the Parliament. The last time I fought a Lok Sabha election, I gave a good fight to six-time MP late Shri Ananth Kumar. This time, I am sure that people of Bengaluru North will give me their mandate to serve them for the next five years in the Lok Sabha,” Krishna Byre Gowda said. Krishna Byre Gowda was thrust into the elections in a last-minute decision made by the Congress party after JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda opted to contest the elections from Tumakuru. He is the current minister of Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs in the Karnataka Assembly.  
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The rebellion in Cong, JD(S) shows why bitter rivals can’t be fair-weather friends

April 8, 2019, 2:52 am
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Lok Sabha 2019
Even if leaders oblige, cadres will not- That's a lesson that the JD(S) and Congress are learning now.
Theja Ram
PTI
On May 15, 2018, as results of the Karnataka assembly polls trickled in, Congress and JD(S) leaders started hectic parleys. After a few phone calls, various leaders met at locations across Bengaluru and within a few hours it was announced that the Congress will allow JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy to become the Chief Minister and head a coalition government. As leaders of both the parties posed for the cameras, raising their hands in solidarity, though there were murmurs among the cadres, the immediate reaction was one of euphoria- that no matter what, the BJP was stalled. But more than 10 months after that strategic decision, the Congress and JD(S) are finding that coalitions cannot be announced overnight, even if leaders oblige, cadres will not. Of rivalry and rebellion The Old Mysuru region comprising Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Chamarajanagara and Bengaluru Rural areas has been the battleground for the Congress and JD(S) for decades, the BJP has only recently made inroads in the Mysuru segment. The post-poll coalition was riddled with uncooperative leaders and severe infighting right from the beginning. However, one thing had kept the morale of the party workers going is that they believed the alliance was only to form a government. Never did many of them imagine that they would be asked to campaign and support candidates from a party that has been their nemesis. This situation changed drastically when JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and Congress President Rahul Gandhi announced in June 2018, that the Congress and JD(S) would contest the Lok Sabha elections not as rivals, but as coalition partners. This became a bitter pill for the party workers to swallow, which has resulted in massive rebellion. Will the math translate to votes? In Mandya, several Congress party workers are openly rallying behind the coalition’s rival – Sumalatha Amabareesh, an independent candidate and wife of late Congress minister Ambareesh. The situation is similar in Mysuru. The JD(S) party meeting in Mysuru on April 5 witnessed massive unrest among party workers. Slogans of “Modi, Modi”, were chanted by JD(S) party workers as they refused to work for the Congress candidate from the Mysuru-Kodagu segment – CH Vijayshankar. In Tumakuru, the coalition’s candidate, HD Deve Gowda is also facing the heat, especially since the Congress party workers are refusing to offer their support. The situation is similar in Hassan where Congress workers are unwilling to cooperate and support the JD(S) candidate Prajwal Revanna. This incident is a stark representation of the disagreement between the coalition partners – Congress and JD(S) at the grassroots level. “The alliance was not formed on an ideological basis but on the basis of opportunity. The Congress and JD(S) more or less follow the same ideology and hence their rivalry is stronger because they fight for the same vote bank. If we look at the math the Congress votes must go to JD(S) in regions where a JD(S) candidate is contesting and vice versa. Looking at how the poll battles are playing out, the question is – will the perceived strength of the coalition transfer into votes?” asks political analyst Ashok Chandragi. Why opportunistic alliances do not work “In the Old Mysuru region, we have witnessed one phenomenon that can explain why the rivalry between the Congress and JD(S) party workers is so deep-rooted. Ever since the JD(S) was formed, whenever the Congress came to power in Karnataka, the JD(S) workers were targeted and cases were booked against them and vice versa. While the top leaders formed an opportunistic coalition, it was the party workers who had to run around courts and fight cases. This is why the rivalry cannot be easily erased,” says Mahadev Prakash, a political analyst.
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Mahadayi dispute: Why the forgotten demands of K’taka farmers is a poll issue

April 8, 2019, 3:03 am
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Lok Sabha 2019
Farmers in Gadag and Dharwad regions accuse political leaders of using the Mahadayi dispute to garner votes, while refusing to solve their water woes.
Theja Ram
PTI/Representation photo
Hot dusty roads, parched lands yearning for water and distraught farmers waiting for a good bout of rainfall – these are the markers of Nargund, a drought-riddled area in Karnataka’s Gadag district. But more importantly, it is the birthplace for the Kalasa-Banduri agitation – which has been alive for over four decades. With elections fast approaching, the farmers of Nargund feel angry, ignored and have begun to lose hope. “In August last year, when the tribunal (Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal) gave its verdict, everyone was so happy. We were finally going to get water that would irrigate our lands. The government ruined that for us. Now we have no water,” says Shivappa Banappa Doddakere, a 67-year-old farmer from Nargund. Shivappa's empty plot of land, where is cotton crop dried up Shivappa is referring to the Karnataka government’s decision to move the Supreme Court in November 2018 against the decision of the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal to allot 13.4 TMC water to the state. The Kumaraswamy-led government had filed a special leave petition with the Supreme Court stating that the tribunal’s order was contrary to the decision of the top court in the Cauvery water dispute case, which mandated the equitable sharing of water among riparian states in a river water dispute. The Mahadayi water sharing dispute concerns the usage of water from River Mahadayi. The issue has been a bone of contention between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra since 2003. Read: Confused about the Mahadayi dispute between K'taka and Goa? Here's a simple explainer On August 14, 2018, the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal issued a verdict stating that 13.4 TMC water from River Mahadayi would be allotted to Karnataka. Of the 13.4 TMC water, 5.5 TMC could be used for drinking and irrigation purposes, 8.2 TMC was to be utilized for power generation, whilst 1.12 TMC and 2.18 TMC was to be used for the Kalasa and Banduri streams respectively. “If we had got the 1.12 TMC water, our lands would not have dried up. I have been growing cotton and jowar since the last 40 years. There were times when I grew 500 quintals of cotton. Now I am riddled with debt of Rs 7 lakh,” Shivappa laments. Will anti-incumbency help the BJP? With the elections approaching, residents of Gadag and Dharwad region express anger against the state government for not allowing the water to flow into the Kalasa and Banduri streams. The angry farmers in the region, say that their lives have been used as free passes for political leaders to gain votes. “The Central government was willing to give us the water promised by the tribunal. Everyone was happy and we all welcomed it. The state government opposed it. The Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy were all telling us that they would follow the tribunal’s order. When the verdict came out, they realized that the issue was coming to an end. That’s when they turned on us. They approached the court so the Centre put the tribunal’s verdict on hold. We became the scapegoats once again. It was a cruel political game,” alleges Soubhagyama Chikkerur, a 36-year-old farmer in Chikkanargund. Farmers in the region say that leaders across political parties have stopped addressing the issue of farm loan waiver, drought during the various election campaigns. Their growing disillusionment is also due to complete apathy from the state government in addressing their issues in a timely fashion, they say. “No one talks about it anymore. No one can come to us and ask for votes by promising to solve this problem because we have been betrayed again and again,” Soubhagyamma adds. According to Vijay Kulkarni, the man who spearheaded the Kalasa-Banduri protest, time and again, politicians have come in the way for farmers when they needed the water to survive. Looking back, Vijay says that the protesting farmers had almost tasted victory in 2003 but the issue was sidelined by state Congress leaders for political gains. He recalls that the Vajpayee government had in 2003 assured them that they would get water, but it was never to be. Vijay Kulkarni blames leaders of the Karnataka Congress, alleging, “They got the Congress leaders in Goa to begin an agitation against the Kalasa-Banduri movement. Until then, there was no opposition to our protest. Until then, our problem was only about convincing the state and central governments to give us water. The state leaders sabotaged our chances in 2003 just because they knew the BJP would score a point with the people in the region if the water flowed through our fields.” Vijay Kulkarni at his home in Chikkanargund According to Kulkarni, the people of Nargund and the surrounding areas of Gadag have not forgotten that betrayal. He says that the state government did the same thing a second time when it filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the tribunal’s order, thereby stalling the process of water being released to the Kalasa and Banduri streams. How the BJP made inroads into Congress bastion In 1980, after the construction of the Navilutheertha Dam the then Chief Minister of Karnataka –SR Bommai had imposed a cess of Rs 1,500 per person in the Nargund region to recover the cost of constructing the dam.  Angered by this, the farmers in Nargund rose up in rebellion against the government as the water from the dam was not reaching the farmers in the region. Popularly known as the Nargund rebellion, this marked the beginning of the Kalasa-Banduri movement. For over eight years, successive governments led by Congress and the Janata Dal, sat on the demands of the farmers to bring in more water to the region. The Janata Dal government led by SR Bommai had also promised to connect River Mahadayi with the Malaprabha river. This plan too fell flat. Finally, in 1989, Chief Minister SR Bommai signed an MoU with the Goa government to construct a dam across the Kalasa stream. This proposal ended up in the backburner as well. The farmers in Nargund and Navalgund waited for six more years, hoping that the state government would take action and that the dam would finally be built. With no move being made to construct a dam across the Kalasa and Banduri streams, anti-incumbency for the Congress and Janata Dal, which had dominated the political scenario in Karnataka grew. “The farmers had been agitating for six years after the 1989 MoU was signed. Besides, when the Janata Party disintegrated, the strong Lingayat leaders moved to BJP. This was simply because the Janata Party has always been anti-Congress. This was also one of the reasons why the BJP began gaining ground in North Karnataka,” says Ashok Chandragi, a former journalist and political analyst. This made it easy for the BJP to break into a bastion of the Congress – the Dharwad North segment. During the 1996 Lok Sabha polls, with the promise of constructing a dam across the Kalasa stream, BJP’s Vijay Sankeshwar bagged the MP seat.  Ever since, the segment has remained a BJP bastion. After delimitation in 2008, the Nargund and Navalgund areas became a part of Haveri Lok Sabha segment. This segment was created in 2009 and ever since, has been a stronghold of the BJP. "There is anti-incumbency not for the candidate but for the state government. The people feel betrayed by the Congress and hence they end up voting for BJP. This time too, the BJP has a chance of winning here because of the way the ruling party handled the Mahadayi issue," says Ashok Chandragi adds.  
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Lok Sabha 2019: Full list of Congress-JD(S) alliance candidates in Karnataka

April 8, 2019, 4:29 am
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The alliance has fielded several veteran leaders and the grandsons of former PM, HD Deve Gowda, are also in the fray this time around.
TNM Staff
The Congress in Karnataka has forged an alliance with the regional party – JD(S) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections this year. The two parties, considered arch rivals in Karnataka have come together to defeat the BJP. The Congress has chosen to contest from 20 constituencies, while the JD(S) has been offered eight segments.  Here is the full list of candidates: Congress Chikkodi – Prakash Hukkeri Sugar baron from the Hukkeri region in Belagavi, Prakash Babanna Hukkeri is the incumbent MP seeking re-election. A five-time MLA from the Chikkodi assembly segment between 1994 and 2014, Prakash Hukkeri has served as the  Minister for Agriculture Marketing and Minister for Muzrai and Sugar in the Karnataka government. A strongman from Belagavi district, he had lost to BJP’s Ramesh Katti in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Belagavi – Virupakshi Sadhunnavar  A member of the Karnataka Lingayat Education Society, Virupakshi Sadhunnavar is contesting Lok Sabha elections for the first time. An industrialist and a major shareholder of Rani Chennamma Sugars Ltd, Virupakshi Sadhunnavar had previously rebelled against the Congress party in 2015 during the MLC elections. When the Congress had nominated Veerkumat Patil as the MLC candidate, Virupakshi had rebelled and contested as an independent and lost the MLC polls. He is up against BJP heavyweight Suresh Angadi, the incumbent MP. Bagalkote – Veena Kashappanavar  Veena Kashappanavar is the wife of former Hungund MLA Vijayanand and is the only woman candidate fielded by the Congress in Karnataka. She is a former Zilla Panchayat member. Bagalkote is a region dominated by Kurubas and Lingayats. The Congress had previously offered tickets to leaders belonging to the Kuruba community. However, this time around, the Congress has chosen Veena in order to cash in on the votes of the Panchamashali Lingayats in the region. Kalaburgi – Mallikarjun Kharge  The leader of opposition for the Congress party in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge is a two-time MP from the Kalaburgi segment. Kharge has served as the Minister for Railways and Minister for Labour in the UPA government in 2009. He has won from the Gurmitkal nine times and has also served in several ministerial portfolios in the state government. Raichur – BV Nayak  Incumbent MP of Raichur, BV Nayak comes from one of Raichur’s most influential families. Son of a former four-time MP from the region, BV Nayak first contested elections in 2014 and won against his relative, the BJP’s Shivangouda Nayak.  Raichur, which has been allotted as an ST segment, has been ruled by the Nayak family for decades. BV Nayak’s father, Venkatesh Nayak was elected as MP from here in 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2004. Bidar – Eshwar Khandre  Currently the Working President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Eshwar Khandre comes from an influential political family in Bidar district. He is the son of Bhimappa Khandre, one of the most influential leaders in Bidar. Bhimappa has been a member of the Congress party since 1968 and the Khandres are known for their political dominance in the Bhalki region. Eshwar Khandre is up against incumbent BJP MP Bhagwanth Khuba. Ballari – VS Ugrappa  Incumbent MP of Ballari, VS Ugrappa was elected to the seat during the 2018 bye-elections. Ugrappa, an 'outsider' who hails from Mysuru, is a loyalist of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Ugrappa belongs to the Valmiki community, and the Ballari seat is reserved for STs. This was another important reason why he made the cut. Haveri – DR Patil  Four-time MP from Gadag region, DR Patil has been chosen as the candidate for the Haveri segment. Prior to delimitation in 2008, the constituency was called Dharwad South and the Congress had always fielded a candidate from the Muslim community. However, after 57 years, the party has changed its strategy and chosen Patil as he belongs to the dominant caste in the region – the Reddy-Lingayats. Dharwad – Vinay Kulkarni  A Lingayat leader from the region, Vinay Kulkarni lost the parliamentary election in 2014 to BJP’s Prahallad Joshi. A loyalist of former CM Siddaramaiah, Kulkarni had gained flak from the Lingayat community after he backed the movement for a separate Lingayat religion. Davangere – HB Manjappa  President of the Davangere District Congress Committee, HB Manjappa was not the Congress party’s first choice candidate. Earlier in March, the party had offered the ticket to Lingayat strongman Shamnur Shivashankarappa. However, Shamnur refused the ticket as he wanted his son SS Mallikarjun to contest the polls. Mallikarjun had suffered two losses in Davangere and hence the party chose Manjappa instead. Dakshina Kannada – Mithun Rai  President of the Dakshina Kannada Youth Congress, Mithun Rai has been handpicked by Congress strategist DK Shivakumar for this parliamentary segment. He gained prominence as a youth leader and is known for his interest in preserving the cultural events of Dakshina Kannada including the Tiger Dance. With seven consecutive losses, the Congress has been pushed into a corner in the region. The party hopes to win the seat with Mithun’s soft-Hindutva approach. Chitradurga – BN Chandrappa  Incumbent MP of Chitradurga, BN Chandrappa has been a Congress loyalist since 1989. He was the former Vice President of the Chikkamagaluru Zilla Panchayat and served as the Chairman of the Karnataka State LIDKAR (Karnataka Leather Industries Development Corporation) Board. Mysuru-Kodagu – CH Vijayshankar  A two-time MP from the Mysuru region in 1996 and 2004, CH Vijayshankar is up against BJP’s Pratap Simha. CH Vijayshankar had defected to the BJP ahead of the 2009 parliamentary elections after the Congress refused him a ticket. He contested as a BJP candidate and lost to former Congress heavyweight AH Vishwanath. Bengaluru Rural – DK Suresh  Brother of Karnataka Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar, DK Suresh is the incumbent MP of Bengaluru Rural. He was first elected in 2013 as the MP from the segment during the bye-elections and went on to win the subsequent parliamentary elections in 2014. Bengaluru North – Krishna Byre Gowda  Considered a suave urbanite, Krishna Byre Gowda is a popular face in Bengaluru city. A second generation politician, Krishna Byre Gowda won his first Assembly election in 2003 following the death of his father and former Janata Dal leader, C Byre Gowda from Vemagal in Kolar. He has five Assembly victories under his belt, and has been the Minister for Agriculture in 2013. He currently serves as the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs. Bengaluru Central – Rizwan Arshad  Currently the Chairman of the KPCC’s communications department, Rizwan Arshad is contesting from the Bengaluru Central segment for the second time. He had lost to BJP leader PC Mohan during the 2014 polls by a margin of 1,37,500 votes. He is now banking on the support of the JD(S) to make up for the loss in numbers. Bengaluru South – BK Hariprasad  A Congress MP elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2009. BK Hariprasad had contested against late BJP leader Ananth Kumar from the Bengaluru South segment in 1999 and lost by a small margin. The constituency has remained a BJP bastion since 1996. With Ananth Kumar’s demise, the Congress is hoping to win the seat back by fielding Hariprasad. Kolar – KH Muniyappa  A veteran Congress leader, KH Muniyappa has represented and won the Kolar parliamentary segment seven times in a row since 1991. He has also served as the Union Minister of State for Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises between 2012 and 2014. Chamarajanagar – R Dhruvanarayana  A strongman from Chamarajanagar, Dhruvanarayana is the incumbent MP of the constituency. He has won the seat twice in succession since 2004. However, this time around, he is up against former Congress heavyweight V Srinivasa Prasad and the fight is predicted to be a tough one. Chikkaballapura – Veerappa Moily  Former Chief Minister of Karnataka (between 1992 and 1994), Veerappa Moily has won the Chikkaballapura segment since 2009. Veerappa Moily has served as a state cabinet minister in Karnataka multiple times. He has also held several Union cabinet portfolios including Law and Justice, Power, Company Affairs and Environment and Forests during the two UPA regimes. JD(S) Uttara Kannada — Anand Asnotikar The JD(S) has fielded former BJP and Congress leader Anand Asnotikar in the Uttara Kannada constituency. He became Minister for Fisheries, Science and Technology during his time in the BJP. He however left the party to join the JD(S) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He is set to face five-time MP Anantkumar Hegde of the BJP.  Vijayapura — Sunita Devanand Chavan  JD(S) decided to field Sunitha Chavan against BJP's two-time MP Ramesh Jigajinagi in the Vijayapura constituency. She is the lone woman candidate fielded by the JD(S) and is also the wife of Nagthan MLA Devanand Chavan. She will be making her electoral debut in the elections. Tumakuru — HD Deve Gowda  JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda took his time before deciding to contest from Tumakuru. He has won the Lok Sabha polls from Hassan five times including thrice consecutively in 2004, 2009 and 2014. He decided to relinquish the Hassan seat to his grandson Prajwal Revanna and chose to contest from Tumakuru. He became the 11th Prime Minister of India in 1996 and also served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996.  Hassan — Prajwal Revanna  Prajwal Revanna was announced as the JD(S) candidate from Hassan, taking over from his grandfather and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda. He is the son of PWD Minister HD Revanna and has been groomed to contest from Hassan for years. He is the General Secretary of the JD(S) and at 27, is one of the youngest candidates in the fray from Karnataka.  Mandya — Nikhil Kumaraswamy  Another grandson of JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, Nikhil Kumaraswamy is the son of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and is set to enter politics by contesting from the Mandya constituency. He has acted in Kannada and Telugu films including in Jaguar and Seetharama Kalyana. He is set to face independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in an eagerly anticipated battle.  Udupi-Chikkamagaluru — Pramod Madhwaraj The lone Congressman in the JD(S) list, Pramod Madhwaraj is a former MLA and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in the state. After the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru seat was handed over to the JD(S), the party was unable to finalise a candidate and eventually turned to Pramod, a popular leader from Udupi. Pramod also manages Raj Fishmeal and Oil Co. and is the son of Manorama Madhwaraj, a former Karnataka minister. Shivamogga — Madhu Bangarappa  JD(S) leader Madhu Bangarappa is contesting a Lok Sabha election from Shivamogga for the second time in six months after losing the bye-polls to BY Raghavendra of the BJP in November 2018. Madhu is the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister S Bangarappa and is also an actor and producer of Kannada films. He was previously the MLA of Sorab Assembly constituency.  
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Lok Sabha 2019: Full list of BJP candidates contesting in Karnataka

April 8, 2019, 5:00 am
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Lok Sabha 2019
The BJP has decided to take on the Congress-JD(S) alliance candidate in 27 out of the 28 seats, except in Mandya where it is backing Sumalatha.
TNM Staff
The BJP in Karnataka, which is the strongest state unit of the party in south India, will be keen to better their tally of 17 seats that they won in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. While they had missed out on forming the government despite being the single largest party after the May 2018 assembly elections, things will get tougher as there seems to be a semblance of unity between the Congress and JD(S). The party has decided to take on the Congress-JD(S) alliance candidate in 27 out of the 28 seats, except in Mandya where it is backing Sumalatha, the widow of late rebel star Ambareesh. She is battling against Nikhil K, the son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. Karnataka will go to the polls on April 18 for the first phase and on April 23 for the second phase. Here is the full list of BJP candidates constituency-wise: Bengaluru Central PC Mohan, who has held the constituency since its formation in 2009, is aiming for a hattrick of wins for his party and himself. A two-time former MLA, Mohan faces Rizwan Arshad of the Congress, with the support of the JD(S).  Bengaluru North  Incumbent MP, sitting minister in the union cabinet and formerly a chief minister, DV Sadanada Gowda won with a comfortable margin of over 1 lakh votes last time. This time, he is pitted in a high profile clash against Krishna Byre Gowda, Karnataka minister and a two-time MLA from a segment in the same constituency. Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya is one of the youngest potential Lok Sabha MPs at 28. The RSS leader will succeed his mentor and six-time MP, late Ananth Kumar from the same constituency. He faces Rajya Sabha MP, BK Hariprasad of the Congress. Bengaluru Rural Ashwath Narayana Gowda is a BJP leader from Mandya region. He is a former MLC and a spokesperson for the party and is considered as one of the party's influential faces in the Vokkaliga belt. The party was to field him in Mandya, before it decided to back Sumalatha. He faces sitting MP, DK Suresh, brother of Congress’ troubleshooter DK Shivakumar. Chikkaballapur  BN Bachegowda is a former minister in the state and has been an MLA from Hoskote. He is up against former CM and Union Minister M Veerappa Moily from the Congress stronghold once again. He is a preferred choice of the BJP as he is from the dominant Vokkaliga caste. Kolar Perhaps the most surprising choice in the entire list, S Muniswamy is a BBMP corporator from Kadugodi ward. He will be facing seven-time MP, KH Muniyappa. He was also the mayoral candidate for the BJP in the elections that took place in early 2019.   Tumakuru GS Basavaraj is the choice of candidate for the saffron party in Tumakuru. He is a three-time MP and belongs to the Lingayat caste and is known to be a BS Yeddyurappa loyalist. He is up against former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in a prestige battle. His son GB Jyotiganesh became an MLA after the 2018 Assembly polls. Mysuru-Kodagu Sitting MP and a journalist-turned politician, Pratap Simha had won from the Mysuru-Kodagu seat riding on the Modi wave in 2014. But this time, he will face a united front of JD(S) and Congress in the form of CH Vijay Shankar, a former BJP MP from the same seat.  Chamarajanagar Srinivas Prasad, a five-time MP and a minister in Vajpayee’s cabinet will face sitting MP, R Dhruva Narayana of the Congress. He had joined the Congress in between and was even part of the Siddaramaiah government. He later quit the party after he was dropped from the cabinet in a reshuffle. Hassan A Manju, a former state minister who was with the Congress until recently, will be up against the grandson of HD Deve Gowda in the Gowda fiefdom. Having lost his assembly seat in the last election, he has an uphill task of pulling off an upset from here. Udupi-Chikmagalur One of the few dominant women leaders in the state, Shobha Karandlaje had won her first Lok Sabha elections from the seat in 2014 after having a successful career in state politics. She is known to be close to BS Yeddyurappa. She faces former Fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj contesting on a JD(S) ticket. Chikkodi Anna Saheb Jolie is the BJP candidate from this seat and he is the husband of sitting MLA, Shashikala from the same segment. He will be up against incumbent Prakash Hukkeri of the Congress. He had recently lost the Assembly elections from Chikkodi-Sadalga segment in 2018. Belgaum The BJP has chosen incumbent and three-time MP, Suresh Chanabasappa Angadi as its candidate, who will face Virupakshi S Sadhunavar from the Congress. Once known to be a Congress fortress, Angadi who won the seat three times in a row since 2004. Bidar Another incumbent Bhagwanth Khuba of the BJP will seek re-election from the same seat. He will be up against Eshwar Khandre of the Congress, who is not only a multiple-time MLA and party’s working president but also a prominent Lingayat face.  Haveri In Haveri, it is again an incumbent Shivkumar Chanabasappa Udasi. After winning two consecutive terms from the same seat, he will face DR Pail of the Congress. A second generation politician known to be close to Sriramulu, he is believed to be the right hand man of tainted mining baron Janardhana Reddy.   Dharwad A veteran BJP man, Prahlad Joshi will be keen on winning the seat again for the fourth time since 2004. He faces his old rival from the Congress in  Vinay Kulkarni. A seasoned politician, Joshi has also been the state president of the party. Ballari The party has gone with Devendrappa from Ballari, a relative of rebel Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi. This, after a shock defeat handed by Congress’ Ugrappa in the bye-poll. The BJP wants to ensure the Valmiki Kayak votes by fielding him. Congress rebels, Nagendra and Ramesh Jarkiholi, are helping BJP.   Uttara Kannada An RSS member from his youth, Ananth Kumar Hegde stormed onto the political scene defeating veteran Margaret Alva from the seat when he was 27. Now, he is seeking election for the sixth straight time. He is also the Minister of State for Skill Development. Dakshina Kannada MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel will seek re-election for the third time. A BJP bastion, Kateel will defend the seat for the fourth time against a young Congress candidate in the form of Mithun Rai. He is a strong proponent of Hindutva and has been accused by his opponents of propagating communal speeches. Davanagere GM Siddeshwara, a former Union Minister and son of late BJP MP, G Mallikarjunappa, is contesting from here. He is incidentally the son-in-law of Congress veteran Shamanur Shivshnkarappa, the president of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha. He will be up against Congress Davangere district president HB Manjappa. Shivamogga BY Raghavendra will contest from the seat as he had won the bye-election after his father BS Yeddyurappa resigned from the seat. He will face the same opponent from the JD(S)-- Madhu Bangarappa, who is the son of former CM Sarekoppa Bangarappa. Raghavendra will be keen to improve his margin this time in the battle of the sons of two CMs.   
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Bengaluru welcomes April showers, break from punishing heat

April 8, 2019, 6:19 am
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This is the first rainfall in the city in around a month.
TNM Staff
Twitter
Residents of Bengaluru welcomed a break from the sweltering heat after a spell of rain across the city on Monday evening. The rainfall comes around a month after the last rainfall in the city. "These rains are because of thunderstorm activity. The rains generally do not sustain more than an hour or two. This is the first rain after a dry spell of about a month. This will bring much-needed relief to the city of Bengaluru which has been experiencing temperatures as high as 35 degree celsius. Parts of the city will receive as much as 20 mm of moderate rainfall," said meteorologist Sunil Gavaskar from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). He further added that if temperatures remain high, there could be more  short spells of rainfall in the next few days. The rains come at a time Bengaluru is experiencing one of its hottest summers with temperatures being 2-3 degrees warmer than usual at this time of the year. Residents of the city took to social media to celebrate after the rains lowered the temperature in the city. First rain after many months and power gone already.. Congrats @NammaBESCOM #bangalore #bengaluru #NammaBengaluru — That Nair Boy (@surajv369) April 8, 2019 While Bangalore Rains missed its Date with Ugadi, here it is. ‘Listen to the Pouring Rain’ Better Late Than Never! Yes, we Bangaloreans are spilt for choice pic.twitter.com/7LxkFD9MUm — Ramesh Balasundaram (@rameshb) April 8, 2019 Oh the smell of rain pic.twitter.com/D0nvH8VDnp — Pushkar V (@pushkarv) April 8, 2019 Enjoy the cool Monday evening Bangalore! First rain of 2019 pic.twitter.com/mPbhSDHRLP — sanjaya rao p (@sanjayaraop) April 8, 2019 Proof....framed. Of the few drops of rain that fell on Bangalore on the evening of April 8, 2019 pic.twitter.com/rOgyVrgny2 — Bhumika K. (@BangaloreBhumi) April 8, 2019 Proof....framed. Of the few drops of rain that fell on Bangalore on the evening of April 8, 2019 pic.twitter.com/rOgyVrgny2 — Bhumika K. (@BangaloreBhumi) April 8, 2019 #Bengaluru - After weeks of really scorching heat and atypically high aveage daily temperatures, the city just had it's first rain shower in weeks.. And it feels like #Bangalore once again: the #breeze, the refreshing #foliage, and just the #cheerfulness in the air! :) pic.twitter.com/hluNWXZkY8— Siddharth Kankaria (@SiddhrthKnkaria) April 8, 2019 One rain, and Bangalore becomes the best city to live in, in the world. #Bengaluru #BangaloreRain — FullTimeStruggler (@fulltimestruglr) April 8, 2019 Finally some rain in Bangalore! What a relief! — Swanand (@_swanand) April 8, 2019 I don't think I've ever been happier about a first rain in Bangalore than I am right now.— Pranay VK (@Pranay_VK) April 8, 2019 It is FINALLY RAINING *insert Petrichor comment* pic.twitter.com/QkO5cqydI0 — monik (@monikamanchanda) April 8, 2019 Along with Bengaluru, many parts of south interior and central Karnataka received rainfall on Monday. Out of them Chikkamagaluru district received the highest rainfall at the time of writing.
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Lok Sabha 2019: PM Narendra Modi to address 7 BJP rallies in Karnataka

April 8, 2019, 7:32 pm
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Lok Sabha 2019
Modi is scheduled to address rallies at Koppal, Mangaluru, Bengaluru, Bagalkot, Chikkodi, Mysuru and Chitradurga.
IANS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address seven public rallies over the next 10 days to campaign for BJP candidates in Karnataka where elections to 28 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held on April 18 and 23, it was announced on Monday."Modi launches his first rally on Tuesday at Chitradurga followed by another at Mysuru in the evening. He will address three rallies at Koppal, Mangaluru and Bengaluru on April 13 and the remaining two at Bagalkot and Chikkodi on April 18," BJP leader G. Madhusudhan said. The last two rallies in the state's northern region coincide with the first phase of polling on April 18 in 14 seats in the state's central and southern regions. Polling in the remaining 14 seats are in the state's coastal and northern regions on April 23. Vote count in all the 28 seats is on May 23. The BJP is contesting in 27 parliamentary seats and supporting multi-lingual south India actor Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent, from Mandya, about 100 km from here, against Nikhil Gowda of the Janata Dal-Secular."The location and venue of the rallies have been decided to ensure Modi reaches out to the maximum electorate in the state's all the three regions and from where most of our candidates had won in the last two general elections in 2014 and 2009," said Madhusudhan. As the party won 17 of the 28 seats in the 2014 general elections, it has re-nominated most of the outgoing members except in Bangalore South, Belgaum and Koppal. The party is betting on Modi's popularity to win at least 20 seats from the state."As Modi has to campaign for the party across the country till May 17, we are unable to get him for more rallies in the state although he had addresses two rallies at Hubli on February 10 and Gulbarga on March 6 before the elections were announced," said Madhusudhan. Besides Modi, the party has lined up a galaxy of its leaders including party President Amit Shah, central ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Suresh Prabhu and Smriti Irani and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
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237 candidates in fray for second phase of LS polls in Karnataka, just 14 women

April 8, 2019, 8:15 pm
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Lok Sabha 2019
This comes after 45 candidates withdrew from the contest.
IANS
As many as 237 candidates are in the fray from 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in coastal and northern regions of Karnataka for the second phase of polling on April 23 after 45 candidates withdrew from the contest, said an official on Monday."After the last date of withdrawal on Monday, 237 candidates are in the fray from 14 parliamentary seats in the second phase of polling, as 45 of the 282 candidates whose nominations were found valid on scrutiny withdrew," said Karnataka Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Surya Sen in a statement. Of the total candidates, 223 are males and 14 females. Among the constituencies, Belgaum has highest number of candidates - 57, followed by Davanagere 25 and Bidar 22. The lowest number of candidates are in Raichur (ST) 5, followed by Haveri 10 and Chikkodi and Bellary (ST) 11 each. Maximum withdrawals - 7 each -- are from Belgaum and Gulbarga (SC). Minimum withdrawals - 1 each -- are from Raichur (ST), Bellary (ST) and Davanagere. The 14 constituencies to vote in the second phase are Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur (SC), Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga. In the first phase of polling on April 18, 241 candidates are in the fray from 14 parliamentary seats in the central and southern regions of the state. The 14 constituencies to vote in the first phase are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Among these constituencies, Bangalore North has the highest number of 31 candidates, followed by 25 in Bangalore South and 22 each in Bangalore Central, Mandya and Mysore.  Lowest number of candidates is 6 in Hassan, followed by 10 in Chamarajnagar, 12 in Udupi-Chikkmagalur and 13 in Dakshina Kannada. Vote count in all 28 seats is on May 23.
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Lok Sabha 2019: BJP likely to bag more seats in Karnataka, pre-poll surveys suggest

April 9, 2019, 12:10 am
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Lok Sabha 2019
While Times Now-VMR and IndiaTV-CNX have given the BJP 16 seats, Republic TV-CVoter has given them 15 seats out of the total 28.
TNM Staff
In Karnataka, the BJP is once again set to remain as the party winning the most number of Lok Sabha seats despite facing a united opposition, according to multiple pre-poll opinion surveys aired on Monday night. These surveys are the last opinion polls published ahead of the Lok Sabha polls set to be held in seven phases across the country, from April 11 to May 19.  While the Times Now-VMR and IndiaTV-CNX pre-poll surveys have both predicted that BJP will win 16 seats, the Republic TV-CVoter has given the saffron party 15 seats out of the total 28. In all these surveys, the remaining 12-13 seats have been given to the JD(S)-Congress alliance.  The Republic TV-C Voter survey predicts that the JD(S)-Congress alliance will win a higher vote-share of 46.8% as opposed to the NDA's 43.6%, as a result of the pre-poll arrangement and at the same time, other candidates are predicted to gain 9.6% of the votes. On a similar note, the Times Now-VMR poll has also interestingly predicted that the vote-share of candidates other than of the three major parties, will increase from 4.3% to 10.57%.  In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 17 seats, and the Congress and JD(S) had won nine and two seats respectively, without having any pre-poll alliance in place.  But this time, the Congress-JD(S) is putting a united front against the saffron party. The Congress will contest 21 seats and partner JD(S) will contest in seven seats. While the BJP is going alone in 27 seats, it has lent support to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya, a traditional stronghold of the JD(S). Karnataka will go to polls in two phases of 14 seats each on April 18 and April 23.  The seats that go for polls in the first phase are Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagara, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapura and Kolar.  The other 14 seats— Chikkodi, Belagavi, Bagalkote, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Ballari, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere and Shivamogga will go to polls on April 23. Two out of the three surveys have predicted a simple majority for the BJP-led NDA. The India TV-CNX polls have predicted 295 seats for the NDA, 23 seats more than the halfway mark. while the Times Now-VMR has given 279. Meanwhile, the Republic TV-C Voter has predicted 267 seats for the NDA.  
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