Karnataka

Education

The CET registration for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holding students will be open online from 5pm on Tuesday.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

The Karnataka High Court has ruled that Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders can now write entrance exams to professional courses in the state under the general quota. The judgement ruled that OCI holders, who were previously considered to be NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) and fell under NRI quota for college admissions, will now be considered on par with citizens of India for state entrance exams. Several students holding OCI cards approached the court challenging the notion that they were not eligible for general quota seats under Karnataka’s Common Entrance Test (CET). A petition had been filed by Pranav V Deshpande along with other OCI card-holding students. In addition to medical and dental courses, individuals with an OCI can now write entrance exams to professional courses, including engineering. The judgement was delivered by Justice Krishna S Dixit who also nullified the inclusion of OCI card holders in the same category as NRIs. Citing that an amendment to the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions act made in 2017 which does not include ‘Overseas Citizens of India or Overseas Citizens of India Cardholders within the definition of Non-resident Indians,’ the court ruled that OCI holders be considered on par with Indian citizens. "A Writ of Declaration issues to the effect that, the impugned Rule 5 of the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government Seats in Professional Educational Institution Rules, 2006, to the extent it prescribes Indian Citizenship, is not enforceable against the Overseas Citizens of India Cardholders," the court order further reads. Speaking to TNM, Executive Director of the Karnataka Examination Authority, Girish R, said that the order issued by the court would soon be implemented. “Students with an OCI card can register for the CET from 5 pm [on Tuesday] online at the website,” he said. The CET, or Common Entrance Test was established in 1994 as a benchmark to permit students to enter a number of professional courses under the government quota. These courses include seats in Medical, Dental, Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy, Engineering and Architecture courses, among others. OCIs, NRIs, and Indian citizens To gain better clarity of the terms which were vital to the case, TNM spoke to Naren Thappeta, who is a lawyer advocating for the rights of those with OCI cards. “In 2003 then Prime Minister Vajpayee declared that India would allow for dual citizenship, which would have allowed people to be considered an Indian citizen as well as a citizen of another country, however when this was actually implemented, things became a little complicated,” explains Naren. For a number of underlying issues, India soon decided that it would not allow for dual citizenship but would instead opt to give people the OCI status, which allowed them to avail opportunities in education and economics in the country. “But at the end of the day, they are still not being considered full citizens.” Since OCI holders found themselves in an ambiguous state, having only been loosely considered to be citizens and largely shelved into the same category as NRIs, a lot of confusion arose. In some instances, including applying for college, they were considered only under the NRI quota and not the general quota for Indian nationals. “The laws are ambiguous, and that’s something we are working on solidifying,” explains Naren. In the meantime, students with OCI cards can now register for the CET 2019 to be held on April 23. Registration for the exam will begin at 5 pm on Tuesday online at the KEA website.

Body 2:

Crime

The police have now unearthed that the former employee had ties to fraudster Sydney Lemos, who was convicted of fraud in 2016.

Prajwal Bhat

It was when Ranjan Pai, Chairman of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), spotted a transaction of Rs 3.5 crore to a Dubai-based company taking place without his approval that he knew something was amiss. Ranjan lodged a complaint at the Cubbon Park Police Station in Bengaluru in December 2018 against the then Deputy General Manager (Finance) of MEMG Sandeep Gururaj, accusing him of diverting Rs 62 crore from the company with the help of accomplices. But now, the police have unearthed Sandeep’s connection to Goa-origin fraudster Sydney Lemos, who was convicted of fraud by a Dubai court in 2016 and sentenced to 517 years imprisonment. How it all began Sandeep had been working with the Manipal Group since the age of 23, and had earned the trust of Ranjan Pai, and was named the Deputy General Manager. He was also authorised to oversee online transactions on behalf of the company. Over a period of three years, Sandeep diverted small amounts from various accounts of the Manipal Group to accounts of companies held by him and his accomplices, amounting to a total of Rs 62 crore. The companies were set up to divert funds. There are a total of five accused in the case — Sandeep, his wife Charusmita, Amrita (who worked in an HR role in Manipal alongside Sandeep in the company at one point in time), Amrita’s brother Vishal Somanna, and their mother Meera Chengappa. Sandeep floated a fraudulent company called Sanctum, while another company called Beehives was started in his wife Charusmita’s name. A third company – Vedanta General Trading – was floated in the name of Vishal, who had transferred Rs 8 crore to his mother Meera’s bank account. Fresh connection to Sydney Lemos The police said that funds from accounts held by the Manipal Group were also invested in Exential, a company floated by Sydney Lemos. Investigating officials suspect that Sydney and Sandeep colluded with the help of Vishal, who worked as a pilot with Qatar Airways. Many of Exential's investors were crew members of airlines. Exential promised returns on funds of up to 120%. Sandeep had initially received the promised returns, but following Sydney’s conviction, Sandeep's investments to the tune of $4,25,000 were not returned. Police officials investigating the case came across WhatsApp conversations between Sandeep and Sydney that took place after March 2016, in which Sandeep is pleading with Sydney to return the money he invested. Ayanna Reddy, police inspector at Cubbon Park Police Station, says, “Sydney, however, told Sandeep that he is occupied and that he cannot return the money at the moment. But this established the link between the two," explains Ayanna Reddy, police inspector at Cubbon Park Police Station. How the scam unravelled A December 2018 transaction was the reason the financial fraud unravelled. “When there are large amounts to be transferred, a voice confirmation is mandatory and it was during the transaction made in December that the chairman of the group was alerted to the fraud after a voice confirmation request came to Ranjan Pai," says Ayanna. Ranjan Pai filed a complaint in December 2018 after discovering the irregularities and soon after the case was registered, police arrested Sandeep, Charusmita, Amrita and Meera. Vishal Somanna is still on the run. "We are trying to catch Vishal and bring him to justice," adds Ayanna.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The Ponzi scam victims said they will unitedly vote for independent candidates or choose NOTA in the Lok Sabha elections.

Soumya Chatterjee

Hundreds of Ponzi scam victims in Bengaluru, mostly Muslims, who have been duped by infamous ‘halal’ schemes like Ambidant, Ajmera and others and are still awaiting their refunds, have decided to make their displeasure known by not voting for any of the mainstream political parties. Read: A con in the name of religion: Karnataka 'Halal Ponzi scam' victims await justice They have decided not to cast their votes in favour of BJP, Congress-JD(S) candidates as they feel these parties haven’t done anything to help them, or bring the scamsters to justice. Instead, they said they will unitedly vote for independent candidates or NOTA (none of the above) in the Lok Sabha elections. Abid Ali, a victim of Ambidant, said, “We want to send out a strong message to all political parties that we are hugely disappointed. The government should have expedited the redistribution of funds that have been seized from these companies. So far nothing has been done from the government’s side or from the Opposition. So we have decided to vote for NOTA. And we are not a small number, we are almost 50,000 families across Karnataka.” The victims have united under the banner ‘First Refund, Then Vote’ and have organised demonstrations over the past month leading up to the elections. One such demonstration was held in Bengaluru’s Town Hall on Saturday. Narendra Kumar of Lancha Mukta Karnataka (bribe-free Karnataka), one of the leading organisers of the movement, said, “50,000 Muslim families were cheated by 25-plus ponzi companies, they lost their life-time savings worth Rs 3000 crore. As none of the political parties have done anything so far, the frustrated victims have decided to vote for Non-JCB {JD(S), Congress & BJP} candidates or choose NOTA button.” He added, “Pehle Refund, Fir Vote’ is our demand, as we are staring at a bleak future, after losing our life-time savings. We lost members to disease and divorce, sisters can’t get married and our parents may depart painfully, all due to lack of money. The root cause is the painfully slow investigation process and delays in government permissions to sell seized properties and distribute the money to us.” One of the protestors said, “While there has been no significant response from the Congress and JD(S), the BJP had earlier told them that they don’t want to be seen as helping Muslims as that might risk losing them their Hindu vote bank.” Ambidant, which is the biggest of these scams, had come to light after the arrest of former minister and tainted mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy in connection with the case. The companies are being probed by the Central Crime Branch, and the state Revenue Department has started a process of recovering investors’ money in accordance with the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors Act.

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Lok Sabha 2019

The joint inquiry carried out by Bangalore Regional Commissioner Shivayogi Kalasad and Inspector General of Police Railways D Roopa, found the four to be favouring the ruling alliance.

Soumya Chatterjee

Four mid-rank police officers of Bengaluru police were transferred by the Election Commission late on Tuesday evening based on a high-level inquiry, for favouring one particular political party. The inquiry instituted by the Election Commission and carried out by Bangalore Regional Commissioner IAS, Shivayogi Kalasad and IPS Inspector General of Police Railways Bangalore D Roopa, found the four favouring the ruling alliance in the state. Sources told TNM that formation of IPS-IAS inquiry is unusual and was instituted after previous investigations by the DGP’s office in this case, along with several other cases, was found to be unsatisfactory. The four officers who were transferred are Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravirprasad P of Yeshwantpura Sub Division, and three inspectors of Jnanabharathi (V Shivareddy), Peenya (Sreenivas VT) and Yeshwanthapura (Mudduraj Y) police stations. While Raviprasad and Srinivas have been posted in the Crime Investigation Department (CID), Shivareddy and Mudduraj have been transferred to the State Intelligence Department and the Internal Security Division departments respectively. In a report to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar, the joint inquiry officers have stated that the “officers are found to be easily registering cases and entertaining complaints on behalf of one political party only and do not receive and look into complaints given by other political parties”. A report by the Public Prosecutor Revanasiddappa submitted to a city court was also used by the inquiry committee, which paved the way for the transfer. The Public Prosecutor noted that while an accused in a land dispute case connected to their favoured party was freely campaigning in Bengaluru North constituency, the officers concerned failed to arrest him. The report added, “From the inquiries, it is ascertained that Raviprasad, ACP, Yeshwanthpur Sub-Division, registered a case against BJP workers in Crime No. 57/2018 of Jalahalli Police Station, while the complaints by BJP was not taken and was bunked. Y Mudduraj, Police Inspector, Yeshwanthpur Police Station, has registered a series of complaints against a BJP nominee.” The report further added, “It has come to notice that the above said officers often accompany the candidate of a particular party during campaigning on the pretext of law and order maintenance, which, in turn, influences the voters because of their presence in uniform with rank, stars and badges.”

Body 2:

Aviation

At present 23% of all travellers carry only hand baggage, the airport said.

TNM Staff

To incentivise flyers who travel light, the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has opened a new entry gate - Gate No. 5 - exclusively for passengers with a printed boarding pass and only hand baggage. This gate will not be accessible to passenger trolleys and wheelchairs. The airport, in a statement, said that this measure was in continuation of its innovative services and products to ensure a hassle-free and delightful travel experience for its passengers. “The opening of a new gate exclusively for passengers travelling with hand baggage will further improve the overall operational efficiency of the Airport. Passengers will benefit from a quicker passage through the security checkpoints,” the airport said. With nearly 55,000 passengers flying out from the city airport on a daily basis, this dedicated gate promises to improve throughput and reduce the wait time at the security checkpoint. Currently, the number of passengers travelling with only hand-baggage constitutes 23% of total departure traffic and the number has gradually increased. The international airport in Bengaluru was built as a private-public partnership. Private promoters hold 74% (Fairfax 48% and Siemens Projects Ventures 26%) stake in Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), while the government holds the remaining 26%: Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (13%) and Airport Authority of India (13%).’ Kempegowda International Airport is currently the busiest airport in south India and the third largest in the country. This announcement comes a day after the User Development Fee (UDF) at the airport was revised based on an Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) amendment, which was issued on April 4. With this, ticket prices for passengers flying out of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru are set to increase for four months from April 16 onwards. The UDF for domestic departures will be revised from Rs 139 to Rs 306 while the UDF for international departures will increase from Rs 558 to Rs 1,226. The revised charges will be applicable from April 16 to August 16, 2019, after which the UDF charges will revert to the earlier rates

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

This is the first major raid conducted on BJP leaders in the state in the run-up to the elections.

Prajwal Bhat

Days before Uttara Kannada district goes to polls, Karnataka Election officials and Income Tax officials have jointly seized more than Rs 80 lakh cash from the homes and vehicles of two BJP functionaries in the constituency. This is the first major raid conducted on BJP leaders in the run-up to the elections. On Monday, Uttara Kannada BJP General Secretary Krishna Rama Devadiga was caught travelling with Rs 9,20,000 in envelopes that contained Rs 5,000 each. Officials suspect that the envelopes were meant to be distributed to voters at the booth level. Flying Squad and Income Tax officials were then tipped off that other BJP functionaries could be hoarding money as well. The residence of Ramakanth V Hegde, a local BJP leader and taluk panchayat president from Sirsi was subsequently raided and Rs 71 lakh in cash was seized. The residence of KG Naik, Uttara Kannada BJP President, was also searched. In all, the officials seized Rs 82.7 lakh in cash and 560 grams of jewellery, including 100 grams of bullion. Sourabh Nayak, Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax and the nodal officer for the district, confirmed the raids and the seizure. Speaking to TNM, an official in the Election Commission refused to comment whether the BJP leaders, whose houses were raided, had links to Union Minister and five-time MP Anantkumar Hegde. He is seeking re-election from the constituency as the BJP candidate. "We have seized bundles of cash kept in envelopes and we are probing if this was being used to distribute to voters. This will be followed up and brought to its logical conclusion in the court of law," said the official. The raid on the BJP leaders occurred around the same time Income Tax officials conducted search and seizure operations at the residences of the associates of Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Public Works Department (PWD) Minister HD Revanna. Revanna's son, Prajwal Revanna, is contesting the elections as the JD(S) candidate from Hassan. Earlier this month, the campaign office and other locations connected to Bengaluru (Central) Congress candidate Rizwan Arshad were raided. In March, Income Tax officials carried out raids at the ancestral home of Karnataka Minor Irrigation Minister CS Puttaraju of the JD(S) and several other business persons and contractors linked to the JD(S). Several senior Congress leaders have hit out at the Income Tax department for 'selective raids' on Congress leaders and its allies in order to intimidate them before the elections. They have also sought the transfer of the BR Balakrishna, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Karnataka). The elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases – on April 18 and on April 23. Results will be declared on May 23.

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Lok Sabha 2019

The Chief Minister was miffed with the actor, who is supporting Mandya candidate Sumalatha against his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, over an alleged remark.

TNM Staff

HD Kumaraswamy seems to have forgotten he’s the Chief Minister of Karnataka. Instead, it’s his title of ‘Producer’ and role of father that seem to weigh predominantly on his mind. At a recent party meeting of the JD(S) in Mandya, an angry Kumaraswamy lashed out at Sandalwood actor Yash, who is supporting independent candidate Sumalatha against HDK’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the constituency. “Without producers like us, they (actors like Yash) will not be able to survive,” Kumaraswamy said. The context was an alleged comment made by Yash, calling JD(S) a party of thieves. “Some guy named Yash has now come here and is saying that mine is a party of thieves. Even I am a film producer and I cannot believe I agreed to make films with such actors,” said HDK, whose former wife Radhika Kumaraswamy had produced Yash-starrer Lucky. “Without producers like us, they will not be able to survive. Do not believe that everything you see in films is true. What you go through every single day, that is the reality. I had given him respect and also a chance. I understand why the party workers are not raising their voice against people who are making negative statements about me. In every village I see why the party workers are keeping quiet. They don’t want my name to be maligned,” he said. The Chief Minister also took a pot shot at Sumalatha Ambareesh, alleging that she had not wanted Amabareesh’s body to be brought to Mandya for his last rites. “When Ambaressh had died, that lady (referring to Sumalatha) had taken people aside and told them that Ambareesh’s body must not be taken to Mandya at any cost. Now see how she is putting on an act,” he added. Sumalatha, wife of former Congress MP Ambareesh is contesting as an independent with the support of the BJP. Her star campaigners are Kannada actors Darshan and Yash. Over the last two weeks, Yash has been campaigning aggressively on behalf of Sumalatha. Both the Chief Minister and Yash have taken digs at each other whilst campaigning. However, Yash has firmly denied calling JD(S) a party of thieves. “I am always clear in my statements. I never called anyone a thief or any party as the party of the thieves. If anyone proves that I made such a statement, I will bow down to his commands,” Yash told the media on Monday. This is not the first time a JD(S) leader has threatened the careers of actors supporting Sumalatha. Earlier in March, the KR Pete Police had registered an FIR against JD(S) MLA Narayana Gowda for intimidating Yash and Darshan. “It’s because of the people who buy movie tickets that the cinema industry is flourishing. Those in the film industry must respect the people. If they continue to go against us (referring to JD(S)), we will begin an investigation into how they earned so much money. We are running the government, so stay at home respectfully,” he had said. Speculation is rife in Mandya that if Sumalatha loses the elections, actors Yash and Darshan’s career in Sandalwood would be threatened. Political party insiders say that Yash took the risk as he is aspiring to enter politics in Mandya and may even join the BJP after the Lok Sabha elections. Before he became the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2006, Kumaraswamy ran Channambika Films, a production company. When he became CM, he made his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy the director of the firm. His affidavit filed in 2018 shows he has loaned money to several film production houses including Channambika films and had stated that he had invested Rs 2.89 crore rupees in the production house run by his wife.

Body 2:

Crime

The accused, Harishankar, was arrested on April 13 after allegedly barging into the woman’s home and assaulting her.

Theja Ram

Image for representation

A 20-year-old Bengaluru garment worker was allegedly sexually assaulted by her neighbour after he stalked her for six months. On the evening of April 13, the woman, who is married, was returning home from work when her neighbour, Harishankar, allegedly followed her. At around 5.45 pm, the woman entered her house located in the city’s Arekere, and Harishankar allegedly barged into her home and locked the door from the inside. According to the police, Harishankar told her he loved her and that she had to marry him. When the woman turned down his proposal, Harishankar allegedly dragged her into her own bedroom, pushed her on the bed and allegedly sexually assaulted her. In her complaint, the woman said Harishankar broke two of her fingers and forced himself on her. “I tried to push him away and began screaming loudly,” the woman said, according to the complaint. Two of the woman’s neighbours heard her screams, broke open the door to her house and allegedly rescued her. “As the two men were trying to break open the door, other neighbours had gathered around the house. When they caught hold of Harishankar, the woman’s neighbours thrashed him,” the police told TNM. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment. Harishankar was arrested on April 13 and remanded to judicial custody, police said. Harishankar allegedly began stalking the newly-married woman after she moved into the house in Bengaluru with husband six months ago. The accused, who lived in a room on the terrace of the house, allegedly followed her on multiple occasions. On April 10, Harishankar allegedly knocked on the woman’s door and told her that he had run out of drinking water. When she went into the kitchen to get water, Harishankar allegedly followed her into the house. He allegedly told her that he loved her and threatened to kill her if she did not say she loves him back. “I had told my husband about this too and he had warned Harishankar. I thought he would stop,” she said in the complaint. Harishankar has been booked under sections 354(A) (wrongful confinement of a woman), 354(D) (stalking), 354(B) (sexual assault), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 448 (trespassing) and 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the IPC.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

Ola has assigned 270 cabs to the Election Commission.

TNM Staff

Leading app-based cab aggregator Ola has announced that it will provide free service to persons with disabilities (PWD) and will ferry them for free from their residence to the polling booth and back in Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Mysuru on Thursday. This initiative is being carried out in partnership with the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, Mangalore Zilla Panchayat, the Bengaluru District Electoral officer and the Commissioner of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) along with the District Electoral Officer and Commissioner of Mysore Corporation. As part of this free service, Ola has assigned 270 cabs to the Election Commission and they will be made available to ferry PWD voters to polling booths. Similar free services will be made available for Ballari, Hubbali-Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belagav seats on April 23 in the second phase of the polls. “We are committed to increasing the participation of Persons with Disabilities in the General Elections to Lok Sabha this year and are keen to facilitate their constitutional right to vote. We are grateful to Ola and appreciate their efforts in enabling seamless transportation so that every citizen can go out and vote,” Surya Sen AV, Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, said in a statement. Ola has set up helpline numbers – 9071464553 / 7624915133 to assist the PWD voters and address any issues that arise. Vishnu Bommareddy, Regional Head – South at Ola said, “The upcoming Lok Sabha elections are the largest democratic elections held in the world and ease of mobility is integral to the effective functioning of the system. In the recent past, we have seen that availability of convenient transport options has resulted in positive voter turnout and we will continue to back initiatives that support the constitutional machinery of the country. We are glad to partner with the local authorities and facilitate hassle-free mobility for every voter in Bengaluru.”

Body 2:

Elections

Elections in the 14 Lok Sabha seats will be held between 7am to 6pm on Thursday, across 30,000-plus polling stations.

TNM Staff

Half of Karnataka, constituents of the 14 Parliamentary constituencies of south and central Karnataka will vote on Thursday to elect their representatives for the Lower House of Parliament in the second phase of polling on April 18. The remaining constituencies will vote on April 23. The seats that go for polls in this 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 a total of 242 candidates in the fray. Elections in the 14 Lok Sabha seats will be held between 7am to 6pm with a total of little over 2.67 crore voters across 30,000-plus polling stations. Out of the 14 seats, three seats — Kolar, Chamrajanagar and Chitradurga are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. Polling in the remaining 14 seats will be held in the west coast and northern regions of the state in the third phase on April 23. "Elaborate arrangements have been made across the state's central and southern regions for free and fair polling in 30,164 booths spread over 14 Parliamentary seats from 7am to 6pm. amid tight security," State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar told IANS. All these seats will see a straight fight between the BJP and the candidate of JD(S)-Congress alliance except in Mandya where BJP is backing actor Sumalatha, wife of actor-politician Ambareesh. Other than Sumalatha, other prominent independent candidates include multilingual actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj. The JD(S), the junior partner of the coalition has high stakes in the battle of the ballot as three members of the Gowda clan are in the fray. According to Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Neelamani Raju, Bengaluru Rural, Hassan, Mandya and Tumakuru are the vulnerable constituencies where additional police forces have been deployed for peaceful and smooth conduct of polling. 4,826 booths have been categorised sensitive. These booths will be manned with extra security personnel to prevent any form of violence. In addition to 49,476 police personnel, the Election Commission has roped in Civil Defence, jail wardens and five companies of Central Armed Police Force, along with platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons."Of the total booths, 16% or 4,826 are considered critical in the four seats identified by the police. We are deploying about 91,000 police personnel on election duty in two phases on April 18 and April 23 to ensure peaceful polling and maintain law and order," Raju said in a statement. While on normal booths, one police constable and the head constable will be on duty, in critical booths, one head constable and the home guard will maintain security.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and would conclude on May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.

TNM Staff

PTI

Polling is underway for all the constituencies in Tamil Nadu, except Vellore, and in 14 constituencies in Karnataka in the second phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Voting began on Thursday in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka’s central and southern regions amid tight security. "Voting began at 7 a.m. simultaneously in all the 30,164 booths across 14 parliamentary seats of the state under tight security," a poll official told IANS here.The constituencies where polling is underway 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). Of the 2.67-crore electorate in the first phase, 1.35-crore male and 1.32-crore female voters will decide the fate of 241 candidates, including 15 women and 133 Independents in fray for the 14 seats. In Tamil Nadu, voting began at 7 am on Thursday in 38 Lok Sabha seats and 18 assembly constituencies where by-elections are being held. The Election Commission on Tuesday rescinded the poll for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency after the Income Tax (IT) department seized unaccounted cash from the cement warehouse allegedly belonging to a DMK functionary's relative. About 5.8 crore voters will decide the fate of 822 candidates in the Lok Sabha polls. Polling also started in the lone Puducherry Lok Sabha seat and in the Thattanchavady assembly constituency for which by-election is being held. The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and would conclude on May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. Follow live updates here: Note: Please disable your ad blocker if the blog is not loading

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

Mohammed Mohsin was suspended with immediate effect for acting contrary to the instructions of the Commission concerning SPG protectees.

TNM Staff

The Election Commission on Wednesday suspended a General Observer belonging to Karnataka IAS cadre for allegedly checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter in Odisha's Sambalpur on Tuesday. Mohammed Mohsin was suspended with immediate effect for acting contrary to the instructions of the Commission concerning SPG protectees and will be posted at Sambalpur till further orders, a poll panel letter dated April 16 said. A Karnataka cadre officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Mohsin was deputed as a General Observer and working under the supervision of the poll panel in Odisha."... the Commission has considered the material available before it and prima facie finds it dereliction of duty," said the letter. Sources told the Times of India that when PM Modi reached Sambalpur to address a rally on Tuesday, election officials inspected his convoy, which constituted a violation of protocol. A senior police officer present at Sambalpur airstrip, speaking on condition of anonymity told ToI, "A team of poll officials led by Mohsin inspected some papers in the chopper carrying the PM. The inspection delayed his arrival at the meeting venue by around 20 minutes which was reported to the ECI." The Prime Minister had visited Odisha on Tuesday and addressed two rallies in Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar. Mohsin is presently secretary in the backward classes department. Karnataka Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar said he was not aware of the incident and said the state cannot intervene in the matter. On whether the official is barred from carrying out his duties after the elections as a result of the order, Bhaskar said, "Only after we receive further directives from the commission we can consider the next step." Earlier this week, the Karnataka Congress had tweeted a 14-second video clip showing two men carrying a black box allegedly unloaded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter to a private Innova parked at a helipad, claiming that the video was filmed soon after Modi landed in Chitradurga last week to address an election rally. The Congress demanded that the EC conduct a probe into the same. With IANS inputs

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

From former cricketer Anil Kumble to veteran actor Raghavendra Rajkumar, Karnataka celebrities came out to vote on Thursday.

TNM Staff

In Karnataka, polling has begun in 14 constituencies in the second phase of the Lok Sabaha Elections 2019, and celebrities in politicians turned up to cast their votes. The 2.67-crore strong electorate will decide the fates of 241 candidates in the central and southern regions of Karnataka. Polling is underway at the following constituencies: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Here are the celebrities and politicans who have voted so far: Former cricket Anil Kumble: Actor Yash: Prove your existence... Go vote !!! ಮತ ಚಲಾಯಿಸಿ..ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವವನ್ನು ಸಾಬೀತುಪಡಿಸಿ !! pic.twitter.com/kEONCXCuI0 — Yash (@TheNameIsYash) April 18, 2019 Chief Minister HDK Kumaraswamy, Anitha Kumaraswamy and Nikhil Kumaraswamy: Actress Pranita Subhash: Actress @pranitasubhash waiting to cast her vote in Bengaluru South. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/BssGfXkvob — Sharan K A (@SharanKA1) April 18, 2019 Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Yathindra Siddaramaiah: Actor-politician Prakash Raj: Actor Kiccha Sudeep ಇಂದು ಜೆಪಿನಗರದ ಮತಗಟ್ಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮತದಾನ ಮಾಡಿದ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಿಚ್ಚ ಸುದೀಪ್ ಅಣ್ಣ@KicchaSudeep @iampriya06#Karnataka #Elections2019 #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/H2QFAKqPbt — TDKSFA_Official ® (@Tdksfa_Official) April 18, 2019 Union Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman: MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar and family: Veteran actor Raghavendra Rajkumar and his sons Guru and Vinay Rajkumar: Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar: Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, chairman and executive director of Narayana Health: Karnataka Deputy CM G Parameshwara with his family: MP Nalin Kumar Kateel: Dakshina Kannada Congress candidate Mithun Rai:

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Lok Sabha 2019

Shanthamurthy was a lecturer at the Government Pre-University College in Hanur.

Theja Ram

A 53-year-old polling official, who was deployed for election duty in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar, died after suffering cardiac arrest on Thursday while on duty. The official, identified as Shanthamurthy, is a resident of Chamarajanagar’s Mahalingapura in Hanur. Shanthamurthy was a lecturer at the Government Pre-University College in Hanur. According to Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner BB Kaveri, Shanthamurthy was deployed for election duty at booth number 48 as reserved staff. Around 9 am on Thursday, Shanthamurthy was walking out of the room at the polling booth when he suffered a cardiac arrest. “The security personnel immediately called an ambulance and he was rushed to the Chamarajanagar District Hospital. He was alive when he was taken to hospital but the doctors declared him dead. He did not respond to the treatment,” DC Kaveri added. Shanthamurthy is survived by his wife and two children. DC Kaveri said that his family will be offered Rs 15 lakh as compensation. “The Election Commission has decided to give a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the family of officers who died while performing election duty. They will be rightly compensated. This is an extremely unfortunate incident. The polling was not disrupted and it is continuing smoothly,” she added. In Tamil Nadu’s Erode, 63-year-old resident Murugesan died while waiting in line to cast his vote. Murugesan was waiting in line at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School polling station in Sivagiri when he fainted. Voters nearby tried to help him and he was rushed to Sivagiri Government Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The cause of his death has been determined to be a cardiac arrest. His body is currently at the hospital. Voting began across 14 Parliamentary constituencies including Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar (SC), Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC) are the constituencies wherein polling is happening on Thursday.

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Weather

Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru rural and Kolar districts will see moderate to light showers.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

After a long, dry heat spell, parts of Karnataka witnessed rainfall on Wednesday evening. A recent notice issued by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Center (KSNDMC) has stated that the rainfall is expected on Thursday as well. As a result of trough and wind discontinuity, parts of south interior Karnataka will see light to moderate rain. The districts of Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru rural and Kolar along with the Western Ghats area of the Malnad districts are expected to see showers coming their way. The KSNDMC has also noted that heavy rains and thunderstorms are likely in those districts on Thursday afternoon and may result in voting being affected. After a long spell of heat, Bengaluru witnessed much-awaited showers in the first week of April. "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," meteorologist Sunil Gavaskar from the KSNDMC stated to TNM, at the time. He further mentioned that if temperatures remained high, more short rain spells could be expected. The state is experiencing one of its hottest summer seasons, with temperatures up to 3 degrees more than is usually expected at this time of the year. Voting for the Lok Sabha elections began in the state at 7 am on Thursday morning. Polling is taking place in the central and southern regions of the state with Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC) are the constituencies going to polls on Thursday. As of Thursday at 1 pm, voter turnout in the state is at 36.51 percent.

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Lok Sabha 2019

A video shows police officials stepping in to break up the fight between the two groups.

TNM Staff

Fights broke out between supporters of the JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy and those of the independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya as the 14 constituencies of the state went to polls on Thursday. The election in Mandya is being watched closely with the poll battle taking place between two first-time runners, Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Sumalatha Ambareesh. A video shows Nikhil greeting the crowd from his car before the fight between the two groups broke out. A man begins shouting “Sumalatha akka jai,” after which he is beaten by a few other men. After this, more supporters of Sumalatha began shouting, "Sumalatha akka jai.” As the brawl continues, policemen step in to break up the fight. Mandya has been a hotbed of issues this election season. Nikhil, a third-generation politician, is the son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. Sumalatha Ambareesh is the wife of late actor-politician Ambareesh, who was a three-time MLA from the district with the Congress party. Following the Assembly elections held in May 2018, the JD(S) and Congress formed the government through an alliance. As a result of this, there were several speculations regarding to whom the coalition would be allocating the Mandya seat in the Lok Sabha elections. While many Congress party members came out in support of Sumalatha, the JD(S) opposed this. Ultimately, the seat was given to Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Sumalatha opted to stand as an independent candidate with the support of several Congress party members (who were not allowed to campaign for her) as well as actors Yash and Darshan. Polling began in the state at 7 am on Thursday and saw a voter turnout of 38.28 percent as of 2 pm. The lowest turnout of voters has been in Bengaluru Central with only 28.65 percent while Dakshina Kannada had the highest voter turnout rate at 48.84 percent.

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Lok Sabha 2019

The Presiding Officer was replaced in the Benson Town booth, however EC said the allegations by the voter are false.

Theja Ram

“This lady, this officer, asked me to press button number 2,” a man alleges on a video from inside a polling booth, as an election official sitting nearby sits impassively. “The Returning Officer who was sitting in the booth asked everyone to press button number 2,” Syed Zahir a resident of Bengaluru's Benson Town alleged. Button number 2 in the constituency – Bengaluru Central – referred to BJP candidate PC Mohan, and the voter alleged that the election official was coercing citizens at the booth. Speaking to TNM, Syed said, “When I told her she was not supposed to tell me whom to vote for, she told me that she would do whatever she wants. A few people who were standing behind us also argued with her. That's when one media person came in and asked what happened. I spoke about it but when the media person asked the polling official, she denied coercing me." Fahad, another voter, who was standing in line says he witnessed the incident. "There were four or five people standing right there and we heard her tell him (Syed) to press button number 2. We have nothing to gain by making false claims like this when we are the ones being harassed. We should be able to vote for whomever we want," Fahad added. The police personnel deployed at the spot said they entered the polling station when they heard an argument. "The man was accusing her of coercion. We immediately informed the Election Commission Officials. Around 12.45 pm, the Election Commission officials arrived at the polling station and ferried the woman returning officer away,” the police official said. Speaking to TNM, Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, Surya Sen said that the official was immediately replaced. He, however, stated that Syed's allegations were found to be false. In another incident, in Machohalli in Bengaluru North constituency, there were allegations by some residents that polling agents of a particular party were handing out pamphlets promoting their candidate. Concerned officials in the Karnataka State Election Commission did not confirm or deny the incident. However, EC sources said that the polling agents were outside the 100-metre buffer zone from the polling station, and that the complaint will be investigated by the Returning Officer. On Thursday, 14 constituencies in Karnataka went to polls: Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapura and Kolar.

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Lok Sabha 2019

Several residents showed up to vote on Thursday only to find that their names were not on the electoral roll.

Soumya Chatterjee

Theja Ram

Bengaluru is not only infamous for its terrible traffic jams but also for its abysmal voter turnout. But can Bengaluru's low voting percentages be blamed only on voter apathy? On Thursday, many Bengalureans found that their names had been deleted from the electoral rolls. Many took to social media to vent their frustration, others spoke to the media and a handful staged protests. But the question each one of them had was, "Where did my vote go?" At around 10 am on Thursday, around 30 residents of the city’s Nagarbhavi area, who had gone to the polling booth opposite the BDA Complex found that their names were deleted. Many of them had voted in May 2018 Assembly elections. Speaking to TNM, Manjunath, a resident of Nagarbhavi said that his name was not on the electoral roll. “I had voted in the 2018 Assembly elections and now my name was not on the electoral roll. My wife is also a voter and her name is also missing,” Manjunath said. The angry voters staged a protest outside the polling station and demanded that the officials allow them to vote. After waiting for two hours, Manjunath was informed that he could not vote as he had not filed Form 6 requesting the EC to add his name into the roll. “They finally blamed me. I have been voting for so long in this constituency. Why would a common man assume his name will be deleted? This is not my mistake,” he said. This, however, was not the only incident reported in the city. Several residents of Ejipura, Malleshwaram, Shivajinagar, Jayanagar and Banashankari faced similar situations. According to reports 50-60 names disappeared/deleted from each booth in about 150 booths in Malleshwaram assembly seat in Bengaluru North. They voted in 2018 Assembly elections. #LokSabhaElections2019— DP SATISH (@dp_satish) April 18, 2019 My Voter id is deleted from list Pulakeshinagar, Bangalore North with no reason, thereby denying my right to vote. This is a conspiracy.— Jacob Abraham (@JacobAb09769898) April 18, 2019 Residents unaware of absentee, shifted and dead list Nupur, a resident of Bengaluru’s Ramagondanahalli, went to the government school in the area to cast her vote along with her husband. Nupur had shifted from her home in Whitefield to Ramagondanahalli only three months ago. She and her husband had applied for a change of address on the Election Commission website so they could voter in Ramagondanahalli. To Nupur’s surprise, her name was not on the electoral roll but her husband’s name had appeared. “When we checked on the EC website it kept saying that our request was still under process. We decided to give it a shot and went to the booth. My husband’s name was there and mine was not,” Nupur said. She then went back to her old constituency of Whitefield and when she checked the electoral roll, her name was on it. However, it was struck down with a ‘deleted’ stamp. “The electoral rolls were not updated. But the polling officials said that I could go and vote in the Whitefield polling booth itself and I finally voted,” Nupur added. Several residents of Jayanagar, who had come to vote near National College also faced similar issues where their names had not been updated on the voter rolls. However, many voters were unaware that they could have gone back and voted in their old constituencies. According to Additional Chief Electoral Officer KN Ramesh, the absentee, shifted and dead list is not made public but is privy only to election officials. He says that a lot of voters don't know the difference between “ordinary resident” and “permanent resident”, which leads to their names disappearing from rolls. “A person may have registered his/her permanent residence in Bengaluru but may live in other parts of the country. Their names will be deleted during the revision process as they will have to vote from the area they are residing in. The process takes time and that’s why we publish electoral rolls way ahead of elections so errors can be rectified,” he added. Why were the voter names deleted? Despite the discontent and anger from eligible voters who could not find their names in the voter list, the Election Commission has shifted the blame onto the voters. “The draft rolls were first published in October 2018. Since then, we have been telling voters to check their names. Final rolls were published on January 15, even then we told people, ‘please check your name’. Then we had given time till March 16. We have solved a lot of complaints that have come to our knowledge. Our officials go from house to house. During these visits, they may find that the person is not living at the said address. Deletions are not made suo motu, there is always some documentation,” Ramesh told TNM. 'Faulty electoral rolls' While the Election Commission claims that it has done its duty in informing voters, PG Bhat, a retired Naval officer, who has been studying this elaborately, is not convinced. He says the rolls are filled with bogus entries and that erroneous deletions continue to plague Bengaluru. Speaking to TNM earlier, he had said that the current voter rolls are inflated. Bhat argues that since 60% of Bengaluru’s population is eligible to vote and if everyone was registered to vote, the number of voters should come to 78 lakh approximately. But the final rolls have more than 90 lakh voters, and it does not add up. He also says, “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 sometimes they are told that they do not have a vote, simply because they do not have the slip.” This is not the first major election where legitimate voters have felt that they have lost out. TNM had earlier reported that in February 2018, residents’ collective Whitefield Rising moved the Karnataka High Court after many of its members were rejected voter ID cards, allegedly without any explanation.

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Lok Sabha 2019

The rallies went ahead as planned despite a complaint filed to the Karnataka Election Commission claiming that the rallies circumvented election rules.

TNM Staff

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two rallies in Bagalkot and Chikkodi in northern Karnataka on Thursday, the day of the second phase of polls in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the public in Bagalkot, Modi said, "The Congress is not ready to accept the air-strike executed. The Congress and JD(S) and other allied parties are not concerned about national issues but are concerned about their vote banks. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy himself had stated to not make Balakot a national issue. You tell me if Congress and JD(S) have their vote bank in Bagalkot or Balakot?", he said taking a jab at the coalition government in Karnataka. The rallies went ahead as planned despite a complaint filed to the Karnataka Election Commission claiming that the rallies circumvented election rules. The complainants Ranjith Kumar and Sanjay Yadav, a pair of advocates, stated that the rallies violated provisions of the People's Representations Act, 1951. "BJP as a political party has very cleverly fixed the date of public rally of Narendra Modi on polling day and negate the provisions of Peoples Representation Act 1951 in order to propagate and display to the public election matter by means of cinematograph, television and other similar modes", stated the advocates in a letter to Sanjiv Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer for Karnataka. However, it is to be noted that Modi addressed rallies outside of the areas that went to polls on Thursday. Election officials are yet to comment on whether the rallies violated rules. The public addresses in Bagalkot and Chikkodi were part of Narendra Modi's whirlwind tour of of the state. He addressed seven rallies in ten days including in Koppal, Mangaluru, Bengaluru, Chitradurga and Mysuru. The BJP is hoping to capitalise on the strong turnouts at these rallies in the last phase of campaigning.

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Lok Sabha 2019

While Mandya recorded the highest voter turnout of 80.23%, Bengaluru (Central, South and North) recorded the lowest polling percentage.

TNM Staff

Representational Image/ PTI

Polling in Karnataka's 14 constituencies for the second phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections went smoothly without any major incidents of violence or disruptions in the state, although glitches in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were initially reported. The final voting percentage declared by Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer is 67.89%. Polling highest in Mandya, lowest in Bengaluru The highest polling -- 80.23 % -- was registered in the high-profile Mandya seat where Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, contested against actor Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After Mandya, Dakshina Kannada recorded the second highest polling percentage (77.69 %), followed by Hassan (77.28%), Tumakuru (77.01%), Chikkaballapur (76.27%), Kolar (SC) [75.94%] and Udupi-Chikmagalur (75.24%). Read: Long-time Bengaluru voters’ names deleted: People protest, EC denies responsibility The lowest polling - 50.31 % - was recorded in India's tech hub in Bengaluru Central, followed by 50.85% in Bengaluru North and 54.23% in Bengaluru South. Bengaluru Rural, on the other hand, saw 64.09% polling. The polling percentage in the other seats are: Chamarajanagar (73.45%), Chitradurga (SC) [70.59%] and Mysuru-Kodagu at 68.85%. The seats that went for polls in this phase are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar. Out of the 14 seats, three seats — Kolar, Chamarajanagar and Chitradurga - are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. Stray incidents In Mandya, a minor fight broke out between the supporters of the JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy and those of the independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh. Before the fight escalated, the police responded and contained the situation. In another tragic incident, a 53-year-old polling official, who was deployed for election duty in Chamarajanagar, died after suffering cardiac arrest on Thursday while on duty. The deceased, identified as Shanthamurthy, was a lecturer at the Government Pre-University College in Hanur. According to Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner BB Kaveri, Shanthamurthy was deployed for election duty at booth number 48 as a reserved staff member.

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