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Will retire from politics if Narendra Modi becomes PM again: HD Revanna

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Lok Sabha 2019
HD Revanna was speaking to reporters at Hassan where he is campaigning for Congress candidate CH Vijayshankar.
Karnataka's PWD Minister and senior JD(S) leader HD Revanna on Thursday said he will quit politics if Narendra Modi got re-elected to become the prime minister again."I will retire from politics if Modi gets re-elected from Varanasi and becomes Prime Minister again. The BJP will not come to power this time," Revanna told reporters at Hassan, about 150 km away from Bengaluru. Revanna, second son of JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and elder brother of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, is in the city to campaign for Congress candidate CH Vijayshankar, contesting against outgoing BJP member Pratap Simha from the Mysore Lok Sabha seat."Our party JD(S) has joined the Congress as a pre-poll alliance to bring the UPA back to power and keep the 'communal' BJP out as we have to protect the interests of distressed farmers across the country," said Revanna."I would like to know what Modi has done for farmers in the last 5 years. Though the state government sent a list of 15 lakh farmers to the central government for including them in the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Modi claimed that the Centre was yet to receive it. This is a lie," said Revanna. Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases of 14 seats each. Polling will be held on April 18 in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagara, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapura and Kolar. The remaining constituencies of Chikkodi, Belagavi, Bagalkote, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Ballari, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere and Shivamogga will vote on April 23.
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Finding it tough to get cabs in Bengaluru? It's because of elections

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Transport
The long waiting time for cabs has prompted commuters in the city to look for alternatives to commute within the city.
Finding it difficult to book a cab in Bengaluru today? The reason could be due to lesser number of drivers on the road in the city due to elections. Tanveer Pasha, President of the Karnataka Auto and Taxi Drivers and Owners Federation, said that as many as 1500 to 2000 Ola and Uber drivers had not logged in on Thursday due to elections. "The number of drivers on the road today has reduced by 1500 to 2000 drivers. While many have left for Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to vote in the elections, others have given their vehicles for election related work and are also taking up outstation trips as they do not want to be in the city at this time. This means that there are lesser cabs on the roads today," explains Tanveer. This has prompted commuters in the city to look for alternatives to commute within the city. Users have had to wait longer to avail cabs in many parts of the city. Tanveer further adds that drivers are engaged in work in their home towns as well. "Many drivers have asked to drive their car in their hometowns by people known to them for political work. All these factors add up in reducing the number of options available for users," adds Tanveer. Krishna, a cab driver with Uber, claimed that the availability of drivers would be an issue until the end of the elections in Karnataka since many drivers will go home during this time. "I have to go to vote in any case, so I will go early to my home town. I will drive my car there for a few days and come back after the elections," Krishna, who lives in Chintamani said. Meanwhile, both Ola and Uber representatives refused to disclose the number of drivers working in the city.
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7 Karnataka Congress leaders suspended for supporting Sumalatha in Mandya

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Lok Sabha 2019
The alliance candidate Nikhil K, son of CM HD Kumaraswamy is up against widow of Rebel Star Ambareesh, who is getting support from the BJP.
The Karnataka unit of Congress has suspended seven block leaders in the Mandya district for anti-party activities and not campaigning for JJD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, contesting from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, a party official said on Thursday."As the district block leaders refused to campaign for Nikhil, defying high command's diktat (order), state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao has suspended them for indiscipline and anti-party activities," party official Ravi Gowda told IANS."As they refused to fall in line and obey the party's order for the cause of coalition dharma, the party had to suspend them and seek explanation for defying the diktat," said Gowda. Mandya district is about 100 km southwest of here on way to Mysuru."The rebels were also suspended for campaigning on the sly for our rival candidate (Sumalatha Ambareesh) contesting as an Independent with the BJP support," said Gowda. The suspended block presidents are H. Appaji of Mandya Rural, A.S. Rajeev of Bharati Nagar, Putramu of Malavalli Rural, K.J. Devaraj of Malavalli City, M. Prasanna of Nagamangala, K.R. Ravindra Babu of K.R. Pet and S.B. Prakash of Melkote. As part of pre-poll alliance, the JD-S and the Congress have agreed to field joint candidates in all 28 parliamentary seats and campaign jointly to prevent division of votes in a straight contest with the BJP. Though hundreds of party workers have refused to campaign for 29-year-old Nikhil, an upcoming Kannada film actor, the party hopes suspension of their leaders would make them (cadres) stop from seeking votes openly for Sumalatha and campaigning for her on the sly. As per the seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress is contesting 21 seats and the JD-S 7, including Mandya, Hassan, Tumkur and Udupi-Chikamagalur in the first phase of polling."The block presidents were warned against anti-party activities on receiving complaints from JD-S leaders that they were campaigning for the rival (Sumalatha) and seeking votes in the name of Ambareesh," said Gowda. Kannada rebel star M.H. Ambareesh, 66, who died on November 24, 2018, was a native of Mandya and represented it in the Lok Sabha thrice, twice as the Congress member and once as the JD-S member."Though we all have respect and love for Ambareesh as his ardent fans, we cannot violate party discipline and coalition dharma," Gowda said Polling will be held in two phases for 14 seats each on April 18 in the central and southern regions and on April 23 in the coastal and northern regions. 
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K’taka HC issues notice to BBMP after residents object to white-topping of road

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Civic Issues
The case pertains to white-topping of South End Road from Madhavan Park to Nettakallappa Circle.
File image
The Karnataka High Court has served a notice to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in connection with a public interest litigation objecting to white-topping of South End Road from Madhavan Park to Nettakallappa Circle. The petition filed by AC Chandrashekar and seven other residents of Basavanagudi cited that the BBMP so far has not finalised any scientific method for the white-topping. They said the road will lack drainage facilities for both rainwater and sewage as no culverts have been built and also white-topping will make the road uneven. The petitioners contended that white-topping was not required for this stretch. The case is being heard by a division bench headed by acting Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy and Justice PS Dinesh Kumar.  This stretch is proposed to be white-topped after the election Model Code of Conduct is lifted, as many pending civic works will be taken up by the authorities. “While white-topping and TenderSure works will continue after the elections, new ward works will be taken up in other places like Malleswaram, Peenya, Shivajinagar, Chamarajpet, Lingarajapuram, Yelahanka and Hebbal. Apart from this, the ongoing flyover and underpass work like at Okalipuram and Sivananda Circle will also be speeded up. We also plan to take up skywalk construction work after the code of conduct ends,” an official told Deccan Herald. However, opposition to white-topping of roads is not new. In September, 2018, residents of Wilson Garden had held a protest against it. They said the project was not suitable for their vehicles. “The white-topping project is not suitable for the motorists. The tyres of our vehicles are not designed for concrete roads. They want to lay a white-topping on this bad road but it will only harm the road further and will also deplete the groundwater,” one protestor had said.
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Dale Steyn shows Indian visa, RCB fans think he is 'coming home'

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Sport
After losing 6 games this season, RCB fans think Steyn will come back to the team, and revive their dwindling hopes in this season's IPL.
South African speedster Dale Steyn sent social media into a tizzy after he uploaded a photograph on Instagram showing an Indian visa. The photograph, which has since been widely shared on social media, has led to speculation that the fast bowler is on the verge of joining the Royal Challengers of Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League. On his Instagram story, Steyn also added the caption, “Ahhh, what’s this little surprise”, along with the picture of the visa. Ends with 'E', Dale Steyn joining Royal Challengers Bangalor'E' ??? pic.twitter.com/GGbTi4810b— Sachin Be Villiers (@AnonymusSachinB) April 11, 2019 However, there has been no confirmation on what his role will be in India. It is also possible that he has signed on to work as a commentator in the IPL. RCB fans who have had very little to cheer this season are holding out hope that Steyn has been drafted as a replacement for Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile. RCB is yet to win a game in this season's IPL. The team has lost six games in a row and has had to endure social media ridicule of their performance. The speculation of Steyn signing for the team has been a topic of discussion among RCB fans on social media. The team's official Twitter handle has also been bombarded with tweets by fans asking if Steyn is joining. RCB fans are sticking to whatever little ray of hope they can stick to. Right now, it is Dale Steyn's IG story!— Romsha (@kohlischarms) April 11, 2019 Update about dale steyn please !! — Manoj Kumar (@VKnAKaddict) April 12, 2019 Dale Steyn coming to India...hopefully he'll replace NCN....#SteynComingHome— JSK (@imjsk27) April 11, 2019 Dale Steyn in IPL Matches - 90 Innings - 90 Wickets - 92 Avg - 25.06 Eco - 6.72 His economy rate of 6.72 is the best ever economy rate for a fast bowler in IPL's history...the legend is an IPL GOAT....#SteynComingHome— JSK (@imjsk27) April 11, 2019 Steyn is a veteran speedster and still remains one of the most feared fast bowlers in the world. He was a part of the RCB team in the first three years of the IPL before joining the now defunct Hyderabad Deccan Chargers. He then played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Lions. #ThrowbackThursday Dale Steyn in RCB pic.twitter.com/stFNwSlMnY — Rasool (@ImRASOOL) April 11, 2019
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Swiggy delivery executive among candidates contesting from Bengaluru Central

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Lok Sabha 2019
Jenifar J Russel, 38, spent years working in the corporate sector before quitting to pursue a different career path.
More than 20 candidates are contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Bengaluru Central, and among them is Jenifar J Russel, an independent candidate currently working as a Swiggy food delivery executive. Since 2013, 38-year-old Jenifar, an engineering graduate who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, says he has nurtured the idea of joining politics. Though he spent years working in the corporate sector, he ultimately left that career behind to pursue a different path. “I took a break in my career and worked low-profile jobs with less salary. This included working as a traffic police warden in Kerala Police for a few months in 2015,” he says. He also worked as a deputy manager for a private company in 2016. “Since November, I have been working as a cab driver to travel across Bengaluru. I could understand the problems of the common man, like a driver.  Earlier I used to make fun of Swacch Bharat and other such schemes. But then I realised how we need it so much. We require many more toilets and where we have toilets, we need to maintain them in a better way,” he told TNM. “I wanted to understand the problems better, so I switched to Swiggy. It's a better way to reach people, especially youngsters,” he said, adding that he has met thousands of people since taking the job. Jenifar says he has never aligned with any one political party, says he advocates for the cause of common people, like him, to root out corruption in politics. “People say that you need a crore of rupees to do campaigning but when I left my job there was only Rs 1,20,000. Now I have done 200 days of campaigning and spent around Rs 31,000. I want to inspire more people to contest elections in the coming days for local and state polls. I want honest people to join politics,” he says. Jenifar began his one-man campaign in November 2018. He handed out his list of promises to every voter he met, including his cab and food delivery customers. “When I meet people one to one, in each area the requirements were different. So I used to answer to the public based on the questions they ask and I used to explain my solutions,” he says. The prominent candidates in the constituency include incumbent MP PC Mohan of the BJP, Congress-JD(S) alliance candidate Rizwan Arshad and popular multilingual actor Prakash Raj who is contesting as an independent. Despite his limited reach, Jenifar says, “It’s a four-way fight between PC Mohan, Prakash Raj, Rizwan Arshad and me. I believe in god and anything can happen.”  
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Battleground Karnataka: Both Modi and Rahul to campaign in state on Saturday

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Lok Sabha 2019
While Modi is addressing rallies in Mangaluru and Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi is speaking in Kolar, Chitradurga and Mandya.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi will campaign in Karnataka on Saturday for their candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha elections."Modi will return to Karnataka to address BJP rallies in Mangaluru and Bengaluru," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman S. Shanataram said. Gandhi will address three rallies in Kolar, Chitradurga and K.R. Nagar in the Mandya parliamentary constituency."He will campaign for our candidates at Kolar and Chitradurga and for our Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) ally candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Mandya seat," Congress official Prakash Rathod said. Modi addressed two rallies at Chitradurga and Mysuru on Wednesday. Of the 28 seats across the state, 14 in the central and southern regions will vote on April 18 and the remaining 14 in the coastal and northern regions on April 23. Vote count in all the seats is on May 23. Of the seven rallies the BJP has scheduled for Modi, the last two will be at Belagavi and Chikkodi. The BJP is contesting in 27 parliamentary seats and supporting multi-lingual south India actor Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent, from Mandya against Nikhil Gowda of the JD-S. The Congress and JD-S have fielded joint candidates in all the 28 seats in the ratio of 21:7 under a seat-sharing arrangement. As Modi's two rallies in the state coincide with the first phase of polling on April 18, BJP's rivals protested that his address at the twin rallies if held during the day may influence the electorate voting in 14 seats across the central and southern regions. Gandhi has already campaigned for the party in the state twice on March 31 at Kalaburagi and Bengaluru on March 18. He also addressed a party meeting at Haveri on March 9.
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‘Media can publish news on Tejasvi Surya, he can go to EC if he finds it defamatory’: HC

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Court
Tejasvi Surya had obtained a temporary injunction on 49 media houses from publishing defamatory stories on him earlier in March.
The Karnataka High Court on Friday said that the temporary injunction passed by a Bengaluru sessions court banning 49 media outlets from reporting 'defamatory statements' against Bengaluru South BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya, does not mean that the media houses cannot publish news about him.  The division bench of the Karnataka High Court comprising acting Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy and Justice PS Dinesh Kumar had on Thursday reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from both parties. The High Court order was based on a public interest litigation filed by Democratic Reforms Organisation seeking directions to set aside the injunction order granted by the sessions court on March 29. On Friday, the court disposed of the petition. However, in its observations on Friday, the court said that whether or not something is defamatory can only be decided after it is published. Since the elections are underway, voters have a right to know information about candidates, the court said, adding that if Telasvi Surya finds any news defamatory after it is published, he can approach the EC.  The division bench of the Karnataka High Court, heard the PIL against the injunction order on Thursday. The petitioner’s advocate had stated that voters had a right to know about the candidates in fray. He argued that the court had curtailed the media from reporting anything negative against Tejasvi Surya and that the court could not curtail the media its right to publish news stories as it interfered with free and fair process of elections, he said. Senior advocate Ashok Haranahalli, who represented Tejasvi Surya, argued that the petitioner was not in the business of news and had no locus standi in the matter.  The sessions court had, in a first of its kind order, granted a temporary injunction till May 27. Forty-four media outlets in India and five global digital media companies had been temporarily prohibited from publishing ‘defamatory and derogatory’ content about BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya since March 29, when the injunction was brought in. While granting the ad-interim exparte temporary injunction (an exparte order is one which is given after only one side has been heard), the sessions court had noted that a #MeToo allegation against the candidate had surfaced only after he filed nomination. In his order, the judge observes, “How all of a sudden these allegations against the plaintiff emerged immediately after he filed nomination for General Elections is a questionable question," the court said, adding that though defendants have freedom of speech and expression, that cannot violate the human dignity of life of any citizen.” Note: The article was edited after publication to reflect that while the court had not 'set aside' the gag order, it observed that media houses could publish news about Tejasvi Surya nevertheless. 
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Dale Steyn returns to RCB, replaces Nathan Coulter-Nile

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Sports
Steyn, who represented RCB in the first three editions of the IPL, will hope to change the fortunes of the team in this edition of the tournament.
South African fast-bowler Dale Steyn has joined the Royal Challengers of Bangalore (RCB) as a replacement for Australian speedster Nathan Coulter-Nile. Steyn, who represented RCB in the first three editions of the IPL, will hope to change the fortunes of the team in this edition of the tournament. The Bengaluru-based franchise is yet to win a game in the IPL and have lost six games in a row, the joint-worst start by any team in the history of the tournament. An Instagram by Dale Steyn showing an Indian visa lead to speculation that the fast bowler is returning to RCB. This led to several RCB fans speculating about Steyn signing with the team. RCB fans have had little to cheer for on the pitch this season and will be buoyed by the news of a fan-favorite returning to the side. Steyn, who recently returned from injury, is still one of the best fast bowlers in the world. He surprisingly went unsold in the IPL auction held in January. Dale Steyn's arrival was the topic of discussion among RCB fans on social media and with the confirmation that he has indeed rejoined the team, fans are hopeful that he can help change the fortunes of the team on the pitch. Read: Dale Steyn shows Indian visa, RCB fans think he is 'coming home' 
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Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah hold joint rally in Mysuru: Will it unite workers?

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Lok Sabha 2019
The two parties are traditional rivals in the region but this time around, they are contesting the polls jointly after signing a pre-poll alliance.
At a time when the JD(S)-Congress alliance is experiencing strains in Karnataka, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appealed to party workers in Mandya and Mysuru to set aside their differences and work together to help the coalition candidates win in the Lok Sabha elections.  With less than a week to go for the elections, a joint rally was held in Malavalli in Mandya and Nagamangala in Mysuru on Friday after multiple reports of discord between JD(S) and Congress workers emerged. The two parties are traditional rivals in the region but this time around, they are contesting the polls jointly after signing a pre-poll alliance. "The coalition government in the state was put together to defeat communal forces. There may have been conflicts at the local level but we must forget them and try and help Vijayashankar and Dhruvanarayana win in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar," Deve Gowda said, speaking on the occasion.  His words were echoed by Siddaramaiah, who once considered Deve Gowda as his political mentor before he was expelled from the JD(S). "To defeat the BJP, the independent candidate should be defeated," he said, referring to actor Sumalatha Ambareesh who is contesting as an independent from Mandya.  There has also been a strain in the alliance after Congress workers were seen attending campaign rallies of late actor Ambareesh’s wife, Sumalatha, who is contesting as an independent candidate against HD Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil. Ambareesh was a popular Congress leader and also served as Minister of Housing during Siddaramaiah’s tenure. "Many Congress workers are openly supporting Sumalatha and not Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Even as the election draws closer and several high command leaders have asked them to support Nikhil, they have refused to do so. They wanted Sumalatha to get the Congress ticket and cannot accept another grandson of Deve Gowda contesting from here," a Congress worker from Mandya says.  Congress recently suspended seven block presidents for indulging in anti-party activities and is struggling to quell the dissidence from its party members. Unlike in Tumakuru, where Congress leaders managed to convince incumbent MP Muddahanumegowda to hand over the seat to Deve Gowda, the party is facing a tough task in pacifying workers in Mandya.  MLAs N Cheluvarayaswamy and PM Narendraswamy and few other Congress leaders who are supporting Sumalatha were missing at Siddaramaiah and Deve Gowda’s joint rally. The joint rally comes a day before Congress President Rahul Gandhi's visit to Mandya to campaign for Nikhil.
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PM Modi, Kumaraswamy engage in war of words over latter’s jawan comment

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Lok Sabha 2019
PM Narendra Modi criticised Kumaraswamy for his statement even as Kumaraswamy clarified the context in which he had made the statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy engaged in a war of words after PM Modi criticised Kumaraswamy for his remark about Indian Army personnel where he had said that those who don't get a square meal join the army and become jawans. A 15-second video clip of Kumaraswamy's statement was shared by BJP's state unit and the same statement was referenced by PM Modi in his speech during a rally in Koppal on Friday.  Kumaraswamy had said, "People who guard our borders are not children of the rich. Because they don't have food to eat, ultimately some youth join armed forces and the PM is playing with their lives." People who don't have food to eat join Defence: @hd_kumaraswamy Kumaraswamy avare, people join Defence forces due to the love they have for Nation. Why don't you send your Son to serve in army instead of contesting for MP seat. You may then know what it needs to be a soldier. pic.twitter.com/J8vSZl6ZRN— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 11, 2019 "It is shocking to know a Chief Minister's thinking is so low to say those who don't get a square meal a day join the Army and not the rich. What else can people expect from such a leader? By using such words, Kumaraswamy has insulted our patriotic soldiers who sacrifice their life to protect the country," PM Narendra Modi said, addressing a rally in Koppal on Friday. After the comment sparked a controversy, Kumaraswamy had clarified that the video had been cut short to create a false implication and shared the full video clip of his speech.  #BJP is upto their old tricks again.They posted another edited video with false interpretation to malign me.I had said that not all who join defence forces are rich.The PM shuldnot play with d lives of jawans to get votes.I never said tat jawans are inthe army just for livelihood https://t.co/Xzwkk7Vxya — H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) April 11, 2019 In response, Kumaraswamy had shared a longer 1:08 clip describing the context in which he made the statement. He said, " A youth like Guru has lost his life in a bomb blast under the rule of Narendra Modi and his family is suffering and we are hurt by this and not due to the Pakistan air strike. As a nation-lover, have you given emphasis to the nation? What about the poor families who are crying today? People who guard our borders are not children of rich. Because they don't have food to eat, ultimately some youth join armed forces and the PM is playing with their lives," he had said. Despite clarifying on the false post by @BJP4Karnataka, PM @narendramodi still gets carried away by wrong inputs of state leaders. The PM is using the patriotism of soldiers for his gain. He rides on such emotional waves because there are no development issues to talk about. pic.twitter.com/fhA6u3lA7p — H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) April 12, 2019 In his previous election rally in Karnataka, PM Modi had asked if the Chief Minister has his vote bank in India or Pakistan.
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Traffic restrictions imposed in Bengaluru CBD ahead of PM Modi’s visit

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Traffic
The Prime Minister will be in the city on Saturday for a public meeting at the Palace Grounds.
In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bengaluru to address a public meeting, on Saturday, the city traffic police have issued an advisory to citizens to help tackle the traffic. The Prime Minister will be addressing a public meeting at the Palace Grounds. According to reports, heavy traffic is expected around Palace Grounds, as a result of which parking restrictions have been issued in the area. The meeting will be held at Sri Krishna Vihar at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru from 4.30 pm onwards. Modi will be joined by his cabinet members at the meeting. The following are the traffic advisories put out by Bengaluru City Traffic Police for citizens to follow: For those travelling from Bengaluru South to the Kempegowda International Airport: Go via Basaveshwara Circle to Old High Grounds P.S. Junction and make a left at T.Chowdaiah Road to reach Windsor Manor Junction. At Cauvery Theater Junction take a left turn at Bashyam Circle  and a right at Jeevaraj Alva Road to reach Sadashivanagar P.S. Junction. From there via New BEL Road go towards Hebbal flyover and move towards KIA. For those travelling from Kempegowda International Airport towards Bengaluru East: Take the Hebbal flyover underpass and then a left onto outer ring toward towards Nagawara Junction via Tannery Road. Upon reaching Hennur Junction, move further ahead. From Kempegowda International Airport towards Bengaluru West, South and North West: Go from the airport to the Hebbal flyover underpass and take a right turn at Kuvempu Circle then a left at B.E.L Circle to reach Sadashivanagar P.S. junction. From there make a right turn to reach B.H.E.L Circle and take a left turn at Maramma Circle. Upon reaching Margosa road go past K.C. General Hospital to move further ahead. From Bengaluru East towards Kempegowda International Airport: Go via MG Road towards Kamaraja Road to reach Thomas Cafe. Take Wheeler Road then the ITC Bridge to reach MS Nagar. From IOC Bridge go towards Banaswadi Main Road and take a left turn to reach outer ring road. Go from Hennur Ring Road towards Nagawara junction and take a right turn to reach Thanisandra Main Road. From there go via Hegde Nagar to Kattigehalli and take a left turn at Bagalur Cross to move towards the airport
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Congress-JD(S) mission is 20% commission, PM Modi taunts in K’taka rally

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Lok Sabha 2019
The Prime Minister said the previous Congress government head was a "10% commission agent".
Slamming the alliance of the ruling Congress and JD(S), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the mission of the coalition government in Karnataka was to take 20% commission in every deal-making."Both the defeated parties came together after the Assembly elections last year to form a 'milawat' (adulterated) government for keeping the BJP out of power and take 20% commission in every contract or project," Modi said while addressing an election rally in Gangavathi, 370 km northwest of Bengaluru. The Prime Minister said the previous Congress government head was a "10% commission agent"."With 10% commission agent JD(S) joining the Congress, the commission has doubled to 20% for every deal. What can you expect from such parties, which fought for years but came together soon fearing the BJP will come to power," Modi said in his 35-minute speech in Hindi. Dubbing Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and British national Christian Michel as "uncles" of the Congress for being commission agents in defence deals, Modi alleged that the new Congress government in Madhya Pradesh diverted funds meant for mid-day meals in schools to the party's election expenses."Crores of rupees were found in the official residence of a Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh on Tugalak Road in New Delhi. The money was siphoned off from the treasury to fund the party's campaign," Modi said. Exhorting the people to vote for the party's candidates by pressing the lotus button on the EVM, the Prime Minister said their votes would help him form a strong government at the Centre for the overall development of the country. Modi was given a rousing welcome when he greeted the people in Kannada and lauded them for assembling on a hot summer day. Claiming that a BJP wave was sweeping across the country, Modi said there was no doubt about the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returning to power to serve the people for five more years. State BJP President BS Yeddyurappa and the party's other leaders such as Jagadish Shettar and BR Sriramulu were present on the occasion. The 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka will go to the polls in the second and third phase on April 18 and April 23, respectively. 
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Ola discontinues shared cab services between 11pm and 6am in Bengaluru

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Transport
While some reports indicate that this decision was taken keeping in mind the safety concerns, industry sources deny it.
Leading app-based cab aggregator Ola has discontinued its popular ride sharing offering for Bengaluru between 11pm and 6am from the beginning of this week. This means customers in Bengaluru cannot book shared cabs on its platform in the late hours. In a company statement, Ola said, “Ola Share is a smart and sustainable mobility solution and a popular choice for commuters during regular hours i.e. 6am to 11pm. By matching users who are looking to ride on similar routes, Ola Share optimizes fares for customers and capacities for driver partners, enabling fewer vehicles on the road. We have hence matched the availability of Ola Share to this time period to ensure value for money and viability for customers and partners respectively. Customers can continue to choose from a variety of mobility options from 11pm - 6am on the Ola platform and we remain committed to innovating and building localised mobility solutions." While some media reports indicate that this decision was taken keeping in mind the safety concerns, industry sources deny it. One source said, “It is not true that this decision was taken on safety grounds. The Ola platform has a robust safety mechanism to ensure no one has to feel unsafe in a ride." The source added, ”In that duration, we often don’t get passengers on the same route and this naturally makes their routes longer. So customers often end up paying the same amount they would have paid for a personal cab. This was not a win-win situation as both the driver and customer were losing money. It has already been done in Chennai.” Ola’s rival Uber has not made any similar announcement.  While shared cabs remain a preferred option for commuters, one cab drivers’ association has said shared cabs services should be stopped immediately. Tanveer Pasha, President of Ola, Taxi for Sure, Uber Drivers and Owners Association, said, “Not only in the night, they have to stop shared services completely, as it is completely against the Motor Vehicles Act. Nobody knows who their next co-rider is irrespective of it is day or night time. We are already talking with the state government.” Read: Ola gets green signal from officials, just has to pay Rs 15 lakh fine 
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Lok Sabha 2019: Another election with inaccurate voters list in Bengaluru?

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Lok Sabha 2019
Bengaluru has consistently seen a dismal voter turnout percentage, but many citizens say their names are deleted from electoral rolls without any explanation.
Yamini Mazumdar, 88, was looking forward to vote like any other responsible citizen. But even though she has a voter ID,  she won’t be able to cast her vote this election. That’s because her name was removed from the voter roll by the Bengaluru civic body. Speaking to TNM, she claimed even though she had alerted election officials about the issue a month ago, there has been no rectification. “One month ago, I had found out that my name is not there on the voter list. When I asked my staff to go check with the officials, they found out that my domestic help and cook’s names are there, who live in the same house. The officials told them that, ‘I was not living here for three months,’ but this is totally untrue. I am 88, I don’t go out of town. I had been out just once for my granddaughter’s wedding for two days. How can they say I have been out of the country?” said Yamini, whose daughter is Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. She further said, “It is not that they have come to my house to check or something. How can they just remove somebody’s name? Nobody has come to my house to check. Since I was 21, I have voted in every election in whichever city I was in, be it Delhi, be it Baroda or be it Bengaluru. I have never missed even once. Even in a wheelchair, I have gone to vote. I am living in the same house for the last 15 years.” A top EC, however, official claimed that they had not received any complaint. “We have not got any representation from them at the CEO’s office. They might have gone to the BBMP. We have come to know of it only four days earlier. We have sought a report from BBMP. On the preliminary enquiry, BBMP has said that she was not staying there when ‘our people visited,’” Additional Chief Electoral Officer KN Ramesh told TNM. He added, “It is a case of deletion if our people find out that she is not residing in the address she has given. Secondly, the last date for including or deleting voters in the list was March 16, so there is no way we can do anything now. Anyway, we have sought a detailed report.” According to The Hindu, more than 5 lakh voters were deleted from the Bengaluru electoral rolls between May 2018 and January 2019, while only around 4 lakh new voter names were added. Officers can delete voter names from the rolls if the voter is no longer living at the registered address, if the voter has died or if the person is registered to vote elsewhere in the country or state. But Yamini seemingly isn’t alone in her plight as several others in Bengaluru are being denied the opportunity to vote. In February 2018, residents’ collective Whitefield Rising moved the Karnataka High Court after many of its members were rejected when they applied for voter ID cards, allegedly without any explanation. Salil Shetty, another Bengaluru resident who was recently denied a voter ID seemingly without reason impleaded himself in the case. Speaking to TNM, he said, “Despite applying well before the closing date and sending written and telephone complaints with the CEO Karnataka, BBMP officials and even fighting my case in a PIL in the High Court of Karnataka, I have been denied my constitutional right to vote in the LS election and the officials have gone scot-free. They have simply lied, even to the Chief Justice, that they have followed the due process.” Is Bengaluru really irresponsible? Every time Bengaluru goes to polls, reports of low voter turnout follow. Headlines such as ‘Bengaluru pulls down voting percentage of Karnataka’ are common. For example, in the 2018 Assembly Elections, Bengaluru (Urban) district recorded a dismal polling percentage of 54.72%, a drop from the 57.38% (in comparison to the statewide average of 72.13%). It’s widely assumed that Bengaluru’s low voter turnout stems from apathy and a lack of civic responsibility. But there is another side to the story, as activists claim that an inaccurate voter list and the Election Commission are the roots of the problems. And the problems can be various — omissions, deletions and duplications, among others. Crunching the numbers PG Bhat, a retired naval officer and software professional has been conducting elaborate studies on the electoral rolls across the country with a focus in Bengaluru and Delhi. He said the problems over the years have only increased, the most obvious being inflated electoral rolls. BBMP has stated that Bengaluru has a population of 1.25 crore, and according to the 2011 Census, 40% of Indians are below the age of 18, Bhat says. If the population is rounded up to 1.3 crore for calculation purposes, Bengaluru cannot have more than 78 lakh eligible voters in the city. “But the latest voter rolls say that we have more than 90 lakh voters,” he says. The Election Commission has stated voter turnout for the 2018 Assembly polls was 55%, but according to Bhat, “it is actually over 70 percent.” Bhat also added that, “There is the issue of photo voter slips. It is supposed to be given by the Election Commission to each voter but it is done by political parties. So if a voter does not have the slip, the booth officers often ask voters to get it from the political parties who may not have the updated voter rolls. And then going by that sometimes they are told that they do not have a  vote in that booth even if they do.”
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Yeddyurappa to step down as K’taka BJP chief after polls? Hopefuls line up for post

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Politics
BJP insiders say that Yeddyurappa's unsuccessful attempts in bringing down the coalition had left the high command unhappy.
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Over a week ago, former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa had told the media that he would step down from his post of BJP state President if the high command wished it. "I will step down from the state President post if the high command wishes it. But I will continue to serve as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly," Yeddyurappa had said.  Just a few days after he made the statement, a number of BJP leaders are now hoping to bag the post of the state President.  BJP insiders say that Yeddyurappa's unsuccessful attempts in bringing down the coalition had left the high command unhappy. In addition, the party's decisionmakers had begun mulling over bringing in a new leadership in Karnataka after the Lok Sabha polls. "There is usually an organisational revamp once every three to four years and no office bearer is allowed to hold on to a post permanently. The change in Karnataka leadership is not something the party is thinking about right now since the elections are coming up but it should happen later in the year," the source added. Aspirants for the chair are now coming forwards and making their requests known to the high command. R Ashoka, a Vokkaliga leader from Bengaluru is trying hard to get the post, insiders say.  However, RSS strongman BL Santosh is said to have recommended Chikkamagalur MLA CT Ravi's name along with names of incumbent Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and local RSS strongman from coastal Karnataka - Sunil Kumar Karkala.  Yeddyurappa, who may vacate his post soon, is rooting for his close associate Umesh Katti's brother Ramesh Katti as he belongs to the Lingayat community. Also in line is Jagadish Shettar, former CM of Karnataka, who also belongs to the Lingayat community.  Several leaders in the party are also demanding that the high command pick a member from the Dalit community as the state President. Leaders Aravind Limbavali and Govind Karjol are also aspiring to obtain the state president's post. "The high command is leaning towards installing a leader with strong RSS roots this time around. But the party also needs to keep in mind that installing a Brahmin candidate could send a wrong message to the party's vote base - the Lingayat community. Once the polls are done, the high command will look into the caste calculations and decide," the source added. 
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Karnataka PUC exam results for 2019 to be declared on Monday

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Exams
Results will be announced at the Department of PU Education (DPUE) office at around 11am following which the results will be made available online for students.
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The Karnataka state Pre-University Certification (PUC) exam results for 2019 will be declared by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board’s (KSEEB) Department of Pre-University Board Examination on Monday, April 15, at 12 noon. Students can check their results online at karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in. This is the first time that the results for the PUC examinations will be announced even before the Common Entrance Test (CET) has been completed. The CET will be held on April 29, 30 and May 1 this year after being postponed due to clash of dates with the Lok Sabha elections. Results will be announced at the Department of PU Education (DPUE) office at around 11am following which the results will be made available online for students. Colleges will subsequently publish the results on Tuesday, April 16. Karnataka II PUC examinations were held from March 1 to March 18. Around 6.6 lakh students reportedly attended the exam, with around 2500 not permitted to write due to attendance shortage. The average pass percentage for 2018 was 59.56% which was 7% higher than 2017’s pass average of 52.38%, with Dakshina Kannada district showing the highest pass rate of 91.49%. The districts of Chikkodi and Bidar had shown the lowest pass percentage rates. The highest marks were reported to be 597 out of 600 in the Science stream and 595 out of 600 in the Arts & Commerce stream. Over 2 lakh students had passed in first class, while around 50,000 students passed with distinction.
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BS Yeddyurappa’s former PA alleges threat to life from politician's current assistant

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Crime
Earlier in 2017 too, NS Vinay had alleged that Santosh had issued threats to him and his family.
In an embarrassment to Karnataka BJP, NS Vinay, former personal assistant (PA) of state president BS Yeddyurappa has once again alleged threat to him and his family from his current PA, NR Santosh. On Friday, Vinay sought police protection for himself and his family and submitted a petition to Amruthahalli Police. In his statement to the police, he said that he was being followed by suspicious persons. Vinay said he was under threat as he has incriminating evidence— a pen drive, CD and a diary that can impact the reputation of former CM Yeddyurappa. Officials at Amruthahalli police station asked him to approach Bengaluru City Police Commissioner as they do not have the authority to give protection. Meanwhile, police have registered a non-cognisable report. Speaking to TNM, Vinay said, “I will go meet the Police Commissioner on Monday and seek police protection from him. I will also submit all the documents and other evidence to the police or the court as suggested by police.” He however, refused to reveal what the documents contain.  Earlier in 2017 too, Vinay had alleged that Santosh had issued threats to him and his family. On May 11, 2017 an abduction attempt was reportedly made on Vinay by a few men near Bengaluru’s ISKCON temple in Mahalakshmi Layout police station limits. Following a complaint filed by Vinay to the Mahalakshmi Layout police, 11 people including Rajendra Urs, the general secretary of BJP Yuva Morcha city unit and history sheeter Prashant, were arrested by the police. All of them had named Santosh as the mastermind of the attempted abduction. Santosh was questioned by the ACP of Malleswaram Sub Division, Anand Badiger who is heading the investigations in this case. Even BS Yeddyurappa was summoned by police for questioning in connection with the case. Currently, Santosh has got a stay from the Karnataka High Court after he moved the court objecting to a probe by the Central Crime Branch. Incidentally, at that time Vinay was PA to KS Eshwarappa, the former protege-turned-foe of Yeddyurappa within the party. The friction between the two led to Eshwarappa forming a separate faction. The feud between the two ended after the intervention of the BJP High Command.    
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Karnataka government's performance below average: Survey

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Politics
The ADR said that the government has performed poorly on agriculture subsidy for seeds and fertilizers and agricultural loan availability.
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Performance of the Karnataka government was "below average" on voters' top three priorities - drinking water, employment and healthcare, said a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Saturday."The Karnataka Survey 2018 shows that drinking water (50.42 per cent), better employment opportunities (39.75 per cent) and better hospitals/primary healthcare centres (32.86 per cent) are the voters' top three priorities in overall Karnataka," said ADR. The performance of the HD Kumaraswamy-led government on the issue of drinking water was 2.11 on a scale of 5 point, while better employment opportunities was 2.53 and better hospitals was 2.45.  In rural Karnataka, voters' top priorities were drinking water (49 per cent), availability of water for agriculture (44 per cent) and higher price realization for farm products (41 per cent). The performance of the government on rural voters' priorities of drinking water was 2.10 on a scale of 5 point, availability of water for agriculture was 1.9, higher price realization for farm products was 2.12. These were rated as below average. The ADR said that the government has performed poorly on agriculture subsidy for seeds and fertilizers and agricultural loan availability.  It further added that for the urban voters in Karnataka, the top most priorities were drinking water, better employment opportunities and better hospitals. "The performance of the government on urban voters' priorities of drinking water (2.12 on a scale of 5), better employment opportunities (2.15), better hospitals/primary healthcare centres (2.07) was rated as below average," the report said. In addition, the government has performed poorly on providing better roads and electricity for domestic use.  The survey report provides an analysis of ten most important governance issues as rated by the voters of Karnataka. The ADR said that the survey covered approximately 14,000 respondents across all 28 parliamentary constituencies of Karnataka. The ADR had conducted a survey between October 2018 and December 2018, prior to the General Elections in which it covered 534 Lok Sabha constituencies with 2,73,487 voters participating in this exercise spread among various demographics. The three main objectives of this survey were to identify voters' priorities on specific governance issues, voters' ratings of the government's performance on those issues and factors affecting voting behaviour.
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'No bomb blast in Bengaluru in BJP rule': Modi talks national security in massive rally

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Lok Sabha 2019
Modi publicly referenced to the Income tax raids held in Karnataka in the run-up to the elections.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a massive crowd of people in Bengaluru, just a week away from the Lok Sabha elections in the state. In his speech, he attacked the Congress on issues of national security. "When the Congress government was in power, wasn't there a bomb blast in Bengaluru? The entire country was not safe to live in then and in five years of our rule, has there been a bomb blast? Who made this happen? (crowd shouts "Modi") This is not due to me but due to the power of your vote," he said in his characteristic style of prompting answers from the audience.  He criticised the coalition government in power in the state and urged the crowd to vote decisively in favour of the BJP. "The people here voted a coalition government and what has happened? Look at the state of Karnataka now. There is a confusion on who the Chief Minister is and if Income Tax department questions them, they are not transparent. if they come to you won't you be transparent with them? Why should an elected representative be any different from a common man?" he further asked. This was the first time Modi publicly referenced to the income tax raids held in Karnataka in the run-up to the elections. Congress and JD(S) leaders protested against the raids and accused the central government of conducting politically motivated raids. He further took on the Congress' election promise of repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir. "In their manifesto, Congress has said it will revoke AFSPA which gives special powers to our brave soldiers. Did it not hurt you? Did it not anger you? Thousands of soldiers lost their lives for Kashmir and now they want to disarm our soldiers. They said that they will withdraw the army from Kashmir. Are you okay with it?" he asked. Modi also urged first-time voters to vote for the BJP, many of whom were in attendance. "We are here to register our support for Modi. Since he has come to power, there has been development and important milestones like demonetisation, surgical strike and Balakot strike. While I may not agree with all the decisions but I feel it has been largely good," says Abhishek, an engineer from Bengaluru who attended the rally.   The event scheduled to start at 4 pm was later shifted to 6:45 pm due to delays. BJP candidates from Bengaluru - Tejasvi Surya, Sadananda Gowda and PC Mohan - and state leaders including BS Yeddyurappa and R Ashoka also spoke on the occasion. Tejasvi, who is contesting from Bengaluru (South) constituency received loud cheers while he was speaking on stage. Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, who was widely tipped as the candidate from the same seat, was also present at the public address. Earlier in the day, Modi addressed a rally in Mangaluru in front of a similarly large crowd.  Thank you Mangaluru for the love and affection today. pic.twitter.com/zyvo6d10C3 — Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 13, 2019 Saturday's rallIes are part of seven rallies held by the Prime Minister in a span of ten days in Karnataka. He will be speaking at Belagavi and Chikkodi on April 18, the day of polls in southern Karnataka. The BJP is hopeful that Modi's presence in the last phase of campaigning in the state will swing the elections in their favour.  "We are targeting to win 22 seats in Karnataka this time around. We have the confidence to make this happen since we have a world leader like Modi that we can be proud of," BS Yeddyurappa said.
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