Karnataka

Karnataka Bye-polls

Out of the 15 constituencies that went to bye-elections, the Congress won two seats, while the JD(S) failed to secure leads in any segment.

Theja Ram

In what is touted as a referendum for the BS Yediyurappa-led government in Karnataka, the BJP won 12 seats in the bye-elections, which were held on December 5. The BJP government, which came to power on July 26, after toppling the Congress-JD(S) coalition, needed to win six constituencies to seal its hold in Karnataka. Out of the 15 constituencies that went to bye-elections, the Congress won two seats, while the JD(S) did not win a single seat. Independetn candidate Sharat Bachegowda won the Hoskote seat. As the BJP emerged victorious, Congress leader and former minister DK Shivakumar accepted defeat. Once the results were announced, former Chief Minister Siddaranaiah stepped down from his post as the Congress Legislature Party Leader. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao also resigned from his post. Both leaders said it was their moral responsibility to resign. Speaking to the media after the victory trend was set, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that the disqualified MLAs, who won the bye-elections would get ministerial berths. “We will give ministerial berths to all disgruntled MLAs who helped us come back to power. I am from Bookanakere in Mandya and I am extremely happy to know that our candidate has won in Mandya. This is a big victory and I thank all the party workers, who worked day and night to ensure our victory. With the new leaders in our fold, we will work towards strengthening the party. We will speak with the high command and see what can be done with those leaders who did not win,” Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said. The winners Several of the turncoats, who were given BJP tickets are expected to win the bye-election. BJP candidate from KR Pete, KC Narayana Gowda defeated JD(S)’s BL Devaraj. In Hirekerur, BJP’s BC Patil won against Congress’ BH Bhannikod. In Chikkaballapura, K Sudhakar defeated Congress candidate M Anjanappa. In Gokak constituency, Ramesh Jarkiholi defeated his brother and Congress candidate, Lakhan Jarkiholi. In Kagwad, BJP’s Srimanth Patil defeated Congress candidate Raju Kage. Anand Singh, the BJP candidate from Ballari’s Vijayanagara defeated Congress’ Venkatrao Ghorpade. In Bengaluru’s Mahalakshmi Layout, JD(S) turncoat, who was given a BJP ticket -- K Gopalaiah defeated Congress candidate M Shivaraj. Byrathi Basavaraj, the BJP candidate from KR Puram was defeated his former mentee and Congress candidate M Narayanaswamy. ST Somashekar, meanwhile, defeated JD(S)’ Javayayi Gowda from Yeshwanthpur. In Athani, Mahesh Kumatahalli defeated his Congress opponent, Gajanan Mangsuli. In Yellapur, Shivaram Hebbar won against Congress candidate Bhimanna Naik. In Ranebennur, BJP candidate Arun Kumar, who was pitted against Congress heavyweight KB Koliwad, won. The disqualified MLAs emerged victorious in 11 of the 12 segments that the BJP bagged. The Congress, meanwhile, won only two seats, in Shivajinagar and Hunsur. In Hunsur, the party’s HP Manjunath defeated JD(S) turncoat, AH Vishwanath, who contested on a BJP ticket. The party’s Rizwan Arshad won the elections in Shivajinagar and defeated the BJP’s A Saravana. Sources said that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had advised AH Vishwanath not to contest elections as the surveys conducted by the BJP indicated that he would lose. However, Vishwanath allegedly wanted to fight the polls to prove his mettle. Independent candidate and former BJP Yuva Morcha General Secretary, Sharat Bachegowda wrested the Hoskote seat from BJP candidate and one of the richest politicians in the state — MTB Nagaraj. With this victory in 12 segments, the party holds 117 seats in the 222-member Assembly. The total strength of the Karnataka Assembly is 224, with bye-elections yet to be held in Rajarajeshwarinagar and Maski. What necessitated the bye-polls The bye-elections were necessitated after 17 legislators with the Congress-JD(S) coalition resigned from their posts in July this year, accusing the then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy of misadministration. Ten of the 17 MLAs had flown to Mumbai in a private chartered plane until the vote of confidence brought down the coalition. The Congress and JD(S) leaders had accused the BJP of bribing these MLAs and forcing them to resign. The former Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had disqualified the rebel MLAs. Speaker Ramesh Kumar had also barred them from contesting polls till the end of the 15th Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The rebels had moved the Supreme Court in August this year and finally, in November, the Supreme Court upheld their disqualifications but also maintained that the Speaker could not determine the period in which these rebels could not contest. A day after the Supreme Court verdict, the BJP inducted 16 of the 17 rebels into its fold, and were given tickets to contest in the bye-elections.

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Karnataka Bye-polls

11 rebel MLAs who left the Congress and JD(S) to join the BJP are set to become ministers.

TNM Staff

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Monday said that the former Congress and JD(S) rebels, who won the bye-election on a BJP ticket, would be given ministerial berths. “We will give ministerial berths to all these MLAs who helped us come back to power. We had promised these leaders that they will get ministerial portfolios if they win and we will keep the promise,” Yediyurappa said. The BJP currently has 17 minsters in the cabinet. When the Yediyurappa government's cabinet was announced on August 26, the BJP had deliberately maintained 16 vacancies. The Karnataka state cabinet can have up to 34 ministers. Yediyurappa had then said that the MLAs who manage to win bye-polls would be inducted into the cabinet. As many as 13 rebels were given BJP tickets to contest the bye-polls in 15 segments. Of the 15 seats, the BJP is set to win in 12 seats. Two rebels -- MTB Nagaraj from Hoskote and AH Vishwanath from Hunsur were trailing. When asked about the disqualified MLAs who are set to lose the bye-polls, Yediyurappa said that the high command would have to take a decision. “We had promised them ministerial berths. We have to see how they can be accommodated. We will speak with the high command and see what can be done with those who did not win,” Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said. Stating that the victory in the bye-elections was a huge one, Yediyurappa pointed out that the BJP had for the first time, won an Assembly constituency in Mandya, which was once the JD(S) and Congress stronghold. “I am from Bookanakere in Mandya and I am extremely happy to know that our candidate has won in Mandya. This is a big victory and I thank all the party workers, who worked day and night to ensure our victory. With this, the BJP has opened its account in Mandya. With the new leaders in our fold, we will work towards strengthening the party,” he said. Speaking to the media, Revenue Minister R Ashoka said that the results proved that the Congress and JD(S) would soon be obliterated from the state.

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Karnataka Bye-polls

Ramesh Jarkiholi defeated his younger brother and Congress candidate, Lakhan Jarkiholi by a huge margin.

Theja Ram

Ramesh Jarkiholi, the politician who started the rebellion that brought down the Congress-JD(S) coalition, has emerged victorious in the bye-elections held in Gokak on December 5. Ramesh Jarkiholi defeated his younger brother and Congress candidate, Lakhan Jarkiholi by a huge margin. The bye-poll battle in Gokak, was a high-pitched one as the Jarkiholi brothers were up against each other. This was also a crucial one as Ramesh Jarkiholi, who started the rebellion in the Congress managed to gather the support of 16 other MLAs and bring down the coalition government. “Ramesh and Balachandra got together and won. The people elected him. He has been scaring people and winning. But let us see how much development he will carry out. I know Balachandra will leave him (Ramesh) in lurch but we have to accept the people’s mandate. I hope that there is development in this region,” Lakhan Jarkiholi said after being defeated. Ramesh Jarkiholi had openly rebelled against the Congress in October 2018 after the PLD Bank elections, where his rival, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, was elected as the President of the PLD Bank. He had accused former Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar of interfering in the politics of the Belagavi Congress. Ramesh Jarkiholi had also expressed disappointment with former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, for being removed as the Minister for Municipalities during the cabinet reshuffle. In November this year, Ramesh Jarkiholi openly stated that he had orchestrated the rebellion. Ramesh had said that he had approached incumbent Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, after which, he held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Muralidhar Rao in Hyderabad, where he had promised the BJP leaders to bring in 16 other MLAs to bring down the coalition. Soon after the Supreme Court allowed the disqualified MLAs to contest polls in November this year, Ramesh Jarkiholi had said that he had tried to bring down the coalition government seven times before he finally succeeded in July. His victory comes as a major blow to the Congress top brass in Karnataka as the fight in Gokak was a personal one for Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. DK Shivakumar was also not allowed to campaign in Belagavi and sources say that it was due to the money laundering case filed against him. Ramesh Jarkiholi’s defeat, is especially a bitter pill for Siddaramaiah to swallow, as Ramesh was once considered his loyalist. Gokak has for long been the fiefdom of Ramesh Jarkiholi since 1999. A five-time MLA from the region, Ramesh Jarkiholi continues to hold his fort.

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Karnataka Bye-polls

Sharat Bachegowda was with the BJP but contested as an independent as the party offered the ticket to MTB Nagaraj

Theja Ram

Karnataka’s richest politician, MTB Nagaraj, suffered a massive defeat in the bye-elections that were held on December 5. Independent candidate Sharat Bachegowda defeated Nagaraj. “I am extremely happy that the people of Hoskote believed in me and made me win. I would like to say that today is a victory for the self-respecting electorate. Even though I did not have the backing of national leaders, state leaders or any regional ones either, the people elected me. Since I filed my nomination, I had the people’s support and I knew I had a huge chance of winning,” Sharat Bachegowda said. He said that MTB Nagaraj lost as he had failed to gain the support of the BJP workers and that the Congress workers, who felt betrayed by him too, did not support him. “MTB Nagaraj left the Congress and without consulting with BJP workers or anyone here (Hoskote), joined the BJP. He failed to gain the support of the people. I had never promised to let go of my aspiration to contest even when he wanted to join the party,” he said. Sharat Bachegowda, however, said that he has not decided whether he would offer his support to the BJP. “I have to discuss with my elders and a few leaders before making any decision,” he said. Former BJP Yuva Morcha General Secretary, Sharat Bachegowda, had rebelled against his own party and contested as an independent from Hoskote. Sharat Bacchegowda had openly expressed his displeasure for being sidelined by the BJP. His father, the BJP MP from Chikkaballapura, Bache Gowda, had distanced himself from his son’s campaign. However, BJP sources say that Sharat Bachegowda was able to win because of the support he received from BJP workers in Hoskote. Sources indicated that several of the BJP cadre, loyal to Sharat, had worked to defeat MTB Nagaraj in the bye-elections. Bachegowda’s campaign primarily targeted MTB Nagaraj’s massive wealth. He accused Nagaraj of corruption and positioned himself as the anti-corruption crusader. The situation in Hoskote was similar to the Lok Sabha elections in Mandya, where independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh defeated former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Sumalatha had received the support of Congress party workers in Mandya, despite Nikhil being the coalition’s chosen candidate. MTB Nagaraj was one of the 17 rebel MLAs from Congress and JD(S), whose defection in July led to the fall of the coalition government headed by HD Kumaraswamy, making way for the BJP to clinch power in the state. Curiously, his affidavit for the upcoming bye-election in Hoskote, where he is contesting on a BJP ticket, shows 53 term deposits mainly between August 2 and 7, amounting to over Rs 48 crore. Bachegowda had used this against Nagaraj in his election campaign. MTB Nagaraj, once known to be close to former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, had tendered his resignation on July 11 along with former /incumbent MLA from Chikkaballapura, Dr K Sudhakar. The resignation of these two leaders had come as a shock to many as they were considered to be loyal to the Congress. MTB Nagaraj started his political career as a Congress party worker and was promoted to Hoskote District Congress Committee President in the early 1990s. Siddaramaiah had banked on the sentiments of the people from Hoskote and had called Nagaraj a betrayer, “who must be taught a lesson”. Congress leaders DK Shivakumar and Dinesh Gundu Rao had also campaigned for Padmavati Suresh. Congress leaders say that Nagaraj’s defeat is a reminder that the powerful too can be defeated. Party sources say that Nagaraj’s defeat is a reminder of the time when heavyweight Deve Gowda too had lost elections multiple times.

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Politics

"I accept the moral responsibility for the party’s defeat in Karnataka," Siddaramaiah said at a press meet on Monday.

Theja Ram

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday decided to step down as the Leader of Congress Legislature Party after the Congress suffered a massive defeat in the bye-elections. On Monday afternoon, after the results of bye-polls in 15 Assembly constituencies were announced, Siddaramaiah decided to step down from his post, stating that he accepts moral responsibility for the party’s defeat in Karnataka. Speaking to the media at his residence in Kaveri, Siddaramaiah said, “I believe in democracy. In these 15 segments, the voters have delivered their verdict and I respect and accept it. My expectation was that the voters would reject those who defected and betrayed their own parties. I had expected that the voters will teach them a lesson. But my expectation has fallen flat today. I accept the people’s verdict. As the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, there are a few things I have to uphold and hence, I resign from my post as leader of the Congress Legislature Party.” Siddaramaiah said that he will be sending his resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Karnataka in-charge KC Venugopal and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao. Sources in the Congress said that Ahmed Patel, Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat and advisor to Sonia Gandhi, had allegedly asked Siddaramaiah to wait for a few days before making a final decision. However, sources in the Karnataka Congress say that Siddaramaiah made the decision despite Patel’s advice as the defeat had humiliated him. I respect the mandate given by the electorate in the #KarnatakaBypolls. I expected people to teach @BJP4Karnataka leaders a great lesson for orchestrating #OpertionKamala. I am taking the moral responsibility & resigning as Leader of CLP & Leader of Opposition. pic.twitter.com/AaG9Xl3SdP— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 9, 2019 In his letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he wrote, "I express my sincere regrets for not being able to give satisfactory results in the recently concluded bye-elections despite my sincere efforts. I deem it necessary to step down as leader of CLP by taking moral responsibility." Meanwhile, sources also told TNM that Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao has also decided to resign from his post as the party was able to win only two seats in the bye-elections. Sources say that Dinesh Gundu Rao was given the chance to continue as the KPCC President after the party suffered a terrible defeat in the Lok Sabha elections so that he could prove himself in the bye-elections. However, due to the massive setback, sources say that he too has decided to resign from his post. Read: After bye-poll drubbing, Dinesh Gundu Rao resigns as KPCC President The bye-polls were necessitated after 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs resigned and brought down the coalition government. The bye-elections were held in 15 of the 17 segments on December 5. The results were announced on Monday and the BJP won 12 seats while the Congress won two seats. Independent Sharat Bachegowda won the remaining one seat. The JD(S) did not win a single seat in the bye-polls. The massive setback comes as an embarrassment to the Congress, especially as most of the rebel MLAs were considered as Siddaramaiah’s close associates before they resigned. For Siddaramaiah, defeating these disqualified MLAs in the bye-elections was a personal fight. The Congress’s defeat was a major blow to Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah resigns from his post as Congress Legislature Party Leader, Dinesh Gundurao resigns as the KPCC Chief after the party's massive defeat in the bye-polls. They said that they accept voters' decision but had expected them to teach the turncoats a lesson @thenewsminute pic.twitter.com/Do79Lcb8bm— Theja Ram (@thejaram92) December 9, 2019

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Karnataka Bye-polls

His resignation came minutes after Siddaramaiah resigned as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Karnataka.

Soumya Chatterjee

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday resigned from his post after the party suffered a massive defeat in the bye-elections. In a press conference held at the party’s headquarters in Bengaluru, Dinesh Gundu Rao said that he is taking moral responsibility for the defeat. His resignation came minutes after Siddaramaiah resigned as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Karnataka. Addressing the media, Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “I have the moral and ethical responsibility here. I had a feeling yesterday (Sunday) that something would go wrong and I discussed this with the high command and other senior leaders. Since the party did not win, I have the moral responsibility to resign. I am resigning as the KPCC President and I have informed all the leaders. I will send my resignation letter to AICC President Sonia Gandhi.” The MLA from Gandhinagar said that he had expected the voters to teach the defectors a lesson. He said that he had worked day and night along with other leaders and party workers to campaign for the party’s candidates in the 15 segments, but had become apprehensive when the exit polls came out. Read: Siddaramaiah resigns as Cong Legislature Party leader after Karnataka bye-poll loss"Yes, we are deeply hurt by the results because these were leaders who betrayed us. We expected the voters to teach them a lesson. But we have to accept and respect the mandate. I would like to congratulate all candidates who won, especially Rizwan Arshad and HP Manjunath,” he said. Dinesh Gundu Rao said that he had been given the responsibility of ensuring the party’s victory during Lok Sabha and the bye-election, but he could not deliver despite trying his best. He said that he would be submitting an analytical report to the AICC interim President Sonia Gandhi before vacating his office. “I was the KPCC President during the Lok Sabha elections and now, during the bye-elections, I am the President. At the time of Parliamentary elections, there was a coalition and due to various reasons we could not win. The AICC gave me a chance in selecting the candidates, in allocating the responsibility to allot work to the cadre. Without consulting me, AICC had not taken any decision. And now I have to accept moral responsibility for the party’s defeat,” he added. The bye-polls were necessitated after 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs resigned and brought down the coalition government. The bye-elections were held in 15 of the 17 segments on December 5. The results were announced on Monday and the BJP won 12 seats while the Congress won two seats. Independent candidate Sharat Bachegowda won the remaining one seat. The JD(S) did not win a single seat in the bye-polls.

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Politics

In the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress had the highest number of MLAs from the state capital at 14.

Soumya Chatterjee

The BJP on Monday pulled off a landslide victory in the Karnataka bye-polls, securing the Chief Ministership for BS Yediyurappa. In the process, the party has also managed to achieve yet another first of having more MLAs within Bengaluru city than the combined strength of the Congress and JD(S). In the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress had the highest number of MLAs from the state capital at 14. The BJP was limited to 12 seats and the JD(S) had won two seats. But now, out of the 28 seats in the city, the Congress is reduced to 12 MLAs in the city, the JD(S) has been reduced to one lone MLA. On Monday, the BJP won 12 out of the 15 Assembly seats which went to bye-polls on December 5. This means the BJP has now a strength of 117 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly. It also enjoys the support of independent MLA H Nagesh. The bye-polls were necessitated due to disqualification of 14 Congress and three JD(S) rebel legislators after they resigned from the Assembly in mid-July. The BJP had fielded 11 former rebel Congress and three former rebel JD(S) legislators who joined the party on November 14 after the Supreme Court on November 13 allowed them to re-contest, though it upheld their disqualification by then Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. The elections for RR Nagar seat, which was vacated by the disqualification of ex-Congress MLA Munirathna Naidu, is delayed due to ongoing litigation. Incidentally, the BJP had won the BBMP Mayoral elections too recently for the first time in four years due to the influence of the rebel MLAs. On Monday, all the turncoat MLAs in Bengaluru – Byrathi Basavaraj from KR Puram, K Gopalaiah from Mahalakshmi Layout, and ST Somashekar from Yeshwanthpur – managed to win with significant margins. The only non-BJP person to make the cut in Bengaluru was Rizwan Arshad. He managed to emerge victorious from Shivajinagar constituency. The BJP had fielded its former corporate Saravana from the Shivajinagar constituency. Shivajinagar was earlier held by former minister and seasoned politician Roshan Baig, but his alleged involvement in the IMA Ponzi scheme resulted in him getting the cold shoulder from the BJP. Baig who had defied the party whip like 16 other Congress-JD(S) MLAs was one of the two Congress MLAs to miss out on a BJP ticket. Denied a ticket, he chose to not contest the elections this time around

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Crime

Currently, Nithyananda is suspected to have left the country through illegal means, and has been skipping trial since mid-2018.

Soumya Chatterjee

Lenin Karuppan, a former disciple, who exposed the controversial self-styled godman in 2010, has moved the High Court seeking transfer of the rape case against Nithyananda to Bengaluru from the Additional District and Session Court in Ramanagara. Justice G Narendra, who was hearing the transfer petition in the High Court, on Monday issued a notice to the state government in connection with the absconding rape-accused Nithyananda. He also sought a reply from the state government about the Nithyananda’s whereabouts -- he has been skipping court since mid-2018. The transfer petition will next be heard again on December 12. Nithyananda is facing trial under Sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 420 (cheating), 114 (criminal abetment), 201 (disappearance of evidence, giving false information), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and other charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Since the complaint was filed in 2010, Nithyananda has been arrested twice and been granted bail from higher courts, successfully delaying the start of the trial. Ultimately, the victims approached the apex court to seek justice. In 2014, the Supreme Court had dismissed a petition by Nithyananda seeking to quash the chargesheet in the rape case against him. He continued to file petitions to delay the proceedings and submitted documents claiming innocence, including a fabricated potency report. Currently, Nithyananda is suspected to have left the country through illegal means. The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday stated that it has cancelled his passport, and rejected his application for a fresh one. The MEA stated that his passport was due for renewal in September 2018 but was cancelled much before that and was not renewed. Amongst other criminal cases against him, Nithyananda is wanted by Gujarat Police as well in connection with a child abuse and abduction case. In late November, two of his associates were arrested, and Nithyananda was booked under sections 365 (abduction), 344 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and under Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. Ramanagara court proceedings Meanwhile, the Ramanagara trial court on Monday did not allow a petition to issue a non-bailable warrant against Nithyananda. In fact, sources claimed the court allowed the exemption petition filed by Nithyananda’s advocate, despite objections from the Public Prosecutor. The trial court was also informed that Lenin has filed a transfer petition in the Karnataka High Court. Curiously, the trial court which has allowed exemption petition for Nithyananda was insistent on Lenin deposing before court and submit evidence, failing which the court warned of contempt proceedings. The trial is set to continue on Tuesday as well.

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Politics

There has been speculation within a section of party circles and the media about Yediyurappa not completing his full term in office citing his advancing age.

PTI

The Karnataka bye-poll results has consolidated Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's position and boosted his stock within the state BJP along with providing the much needed stability to the government led by him. There was much at stake for the 76-year-old Lingayat strongman in these bye-polls, as any adverse results would have led to question marks over his continuation in the post and even his political future, a senior BJP functionary said. Aware of this, the veteran politician went out of the way in ensuring that the party faced the bye-polls unitedly and work for the victory of disqualified legislators, who were BJP candidates in the bye-elections. The four-time Chief Minister was on a campaign blitz and visited each of the 15 constituencies at least twice to ensure their victory. He publicly announced that they will be made ministers on winning and promised developmental work in their constituencies if voted to power. Amid some reports of rift between him and a section of the party's state leadership under unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel, he ensured that the party rallied together for the bypolls, and even appointed ministers of his cabinet as in-charges to each of the constituencies. He even admonished some party leaders, when cracks developed within over giving tickets to defectors, sidelining party loyalists, and stood by the disqualified by making remarks publicly that it is because of them his government was able to come to power. It was no secret he did not have complete say in the cabinet expansion, appointment of three deputy chief ministers and had to run a single member cabinet for over 20 days, a party functionary had recently said, indicating that it is the strong central leadership that calls the shots. There has been speculation within a section of party circles and the media about Yediyurappa not completing his full term in office citing his advancing age and also the BJP central leadership allegedly not being keen on continuing with him in the top post for long. The BJP under the current dispensation under Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have retired several senior party leaders at the age of 75. However, an exception was said to have been made in Yediyurappa's case after the BJP won 25 of 28 Lok Sabha seats during the Lok Sabha election and with an intention to have the saffron party in power in Karnataka. According to some partymen, Yediyurappa may get some respite now for the next three-and-half years -- remainder of his term -- after having ensured the party's victory in the bye-polls by winning 12 of the 15 seats, that has provided stability to his four-month-old government."With most of the new MLAs elected owing their allegiance to Yediyurappa, it seems to have strengthened his position within the party," a senior BJP leader said.

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Controversy

Earlier, a single bench order of the HC had given relief to the professor Giridhar Madras.

TNM Staff

A division bench of the Karnataka High Court has set aside the reinstatement order for IISc professor Giridhar Madras, which was earlier passed by a single judge of the same court. The division bench order came as the court was hearing a writ petition filed by the IISc. Giridhar, a senior faculty of the Chemical Engineering Department, was found guilty of sexual harassment by an internal council in October 2018. Based on this, he was forced to go on compulsory retirement. The probe had started in November 2016 after a PhD student had lodged a complaint that he had made sexually coloured remarks against her and called her repeatedly at night. Giridhar had approached the HC for relief after he was forced into compulsory retirement by the IISc authorities. Based on his plea, in January 2019, Justice R Devdas passed an interim order, granting stay on the compulsory retirement. Giridhar had argued in court that the IC should have asked the complainant to present proof such as call and message records, to substantiate her allegations. Claiming that the compulsory retirement awarded to him was based on a show-cause notice drawn from the IC’s inquiry report, Giridhar alleged that it was based on “perceptions” and not proof. Later, the HC in August, 2019, had reinstated him after finding faults with the Internal Committee (IC) and the Disciplinary Authority formed to probe the case. The order by Justice BP Bajanthri held that the IISc authorities have not followed statutory provisions, like providing a copy of the complaint to the accused. They also reportedly did not stick to the rules mandated for forming an inquiry committee and submission of the report, the court said. During the course of the hearing, Giridhar told the court that his chances of future employment were hampered because the IISc director had mentioned Giridhar’s name in a press meet. He also alleged personal vendetta on the part of the IISc director.

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Civic

The stay order was based on two PILs which argued that users were made to pay toll charges on the highway even though the work was not finished.

TNM Staff

In a relief to road users on the Bengaluru-Doddaballapura Road and residents of Doddaballapur, the Karnataka High Court has put a stay on the collection of till charges on the incomplete highway. In its interim stay order, the High Court has categorically directed the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL), which comes under the Public Works Department, Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers Consultants Pvt. Ltd. (company executing project), and Yelahanka AP Boarder Toll Way Pvt. Ltd, not to collect toll until further orders. The HC stay order on Monday came as the state government was not able to provide full details of the completed works when the permission for collecting toll was granted last year based on the claim that 75% of the work was completed, reported The Hindu. According to reports, the division bench of Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice M Nagaprasanna, gave this interim order while hearing two public interest litigations on the matter. The petitioners, social activist S Naveen Kumar and advocate G Venkatesh, claim that only 50% of the work was completed, the Times of India reported. Naveen argued in court that collection of toll without the completion of road works was not only illegal but also unconstitutional, added the TOI report. The petitioners contended that 75% of the works were not completed as claimed by the private company (the concessionaire) building the road in its provisional certificate. Based on the PILs, the HC had earlier asked the state government to inquire into the matter. The state government was also asked to explain why permission was granted by the government to allow the private company to collect toll without proper assessment. Replying to this, the government had submitted detailed assessment by engineering consultants but the HC was not satisfied. The government has further asked the state government to independently verify the petitioner’s claim. The state government incidentally failed to reply to the HC’s queries on Monday.

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Politics

Narayana Gowda, who emerged victorious, was one of 17 MLAs of the erstwhile JD(S)-Cong coalition who resigned from his post, to make way for the BJP to form a government.

Soumya Chatterjee

PTI

In what was an unprecedented victory for the BJP, former JD(S) MLA KC Narayana Gowda has emerged victorious from the KR Pet Assembly seat in Mandya district. He pipped the JD(S) candidate BL Devaraj by a margin of more than 9,000 votes. He is one of the 17 MLAs of the erstwhile JD(S)-Congress ruling coalition who resigned from his post to make way for the BJP to form government in the state. Incidentally, this is the same taluk from where Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa hails. However, until now, the BJP which isconsidered to be favoured by LIngayats, had failed to make significant inroads in the Vokkaliga-dominated old Mysuru region. The highest votes recorded by BJP candidates have not even touched 30,000 in the last many Assembly polls. During the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP candidate BC Manju had won only 9,819 votes. Taking special interest in ensuring BJP's victory in KR Pete under which his birthplace Bookanakere comes, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had deputed his son BY Vijayendra to oversee the election-related activities in the constituency."It gives me an immense pleasure that Narayana Gowda has won from KR Pete. It is the same place where my village Bookanakere is located and where I was born, but we had never won the election. I congratulate him," Yediyurappa told reporters. Celebrating Gowda's victory, BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel said, "In certain regions such as KR Pete and Chikkaballapura, BJP had never won the election. Mandya had been the JD(S) citadel, but today he (Narayana Gowda) has brought us victory from there". In the 2018 Assembly elections, the JD(S) had won all the eight assembly segments in Mandya district with a substantial population of the dominant Vokkaliga community. (With PTI inputs).

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Politics

Sources in the BJP say that the newly elected legislators have already put in requests to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, for the ministerial portfolios of their choice

Theja Ram

The political drama in Karnataka, which began with the rebellion of Congress and JD(S) leaders, finally ended on Monday after 11 rebel leaders won the bye-election. With their long-drawn wait to become ministers coming to an end, sources in the BJP say that the newly elected legislators have already put in requests to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, for the ministerial portfolios of their choice. Ramesh Jarkiholi, who spearheaded the rebellion in the coalition government, is said to have his eyes on the coveted Water Resource Ministry. BJP insiders say that Ramesh Jarkiholi has requested that he be given the portfolio that Congress leader DK Shivakumar held during the coalition’s rule. "This is Ramesh Jarkiholi's way of besting DK Shivakumar. He has specifically asked for Water Resources portfolio if he cannot be made the Deputy Chief Minister (DCM),” the source said. Ramesh Jarkiholi is believed to have aspired for the Deputy Chief Minister's chair as he was the lynchpin in the fiasco that brought down the Congress-JD(S) coalition. However, the party has already appointed three DCMs, rendering no vacancy for the post. Meanwhile, another one of DK Shivakumar's detractors, Dr K Sudhakar, the MLA from Chikkaballapura, is believed to have asked for the Medical Education portfolio. The Yediyurappa government scrapped the plan to construct a medical college in Kanakpura, Shivakumar's constituency, in August this year. Soon after, funds were sanctioned for the construction of a medical college in Chikkaballapura. This led to a major contention between DK Shivakumar and Sudhakar. Sudhakar had vowed to get a medical college constructed in his constituency. "Sudhakar's family runs educational institutions. The medical college portfolio will be to his benefit," the BJP source added. BJP insiders say that KR Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj has asked for another coveted portfolio, the Bengaluru Development Ministry. Party insiders claim that both ST Somashekar, the MLA from Yeshwanthpur, and Basavaraj want the same portfolio, which is currently held by CM Yediyurappa. However, sources say that Somashekar is likely to get the Cooperation Ministry. Meanwhile, Mahesh Kumatahalli, MLA from Athani, is aspiring to bag the Small and Medium Scale Industries portfolio, while Vijayanagara MLA Anand Singh has asked for the Ministry of Environment and Forests. BJP insiders say that Anand Singh has also demanded that Vijayanagara be made a separate district and that he must be made the minister in charge of this new district. BJP sources said that BC Patil has asked for the Horticulture portfolio, Srimanth Patil the Sugar ministry, and KR Pete MLA has asked for the Agriculture portfolio. "Yediyurappa will take their demands to the high command and ultimately, it's up to the national leaders to decide. We will discuss giving MLC posts to those who did not win as well," the source said.

Body 2:

Transport

The extended time has been a long-standing demand of commuters, according to BMRCL.

Theja Ram

File image

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited has announced that the metro train service will be extended till 12 am staring January 1. The Metro trains, which currently ply till 11 pm at night, will now run for an extra hour. Ajay Seth, Managing Director of BMRCL, said that extending the time has been a long-standing demand of commuters and BMRCL is working towards meeting their demands. The last metro train will leave Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station at 12 am and will go in all four directions – towards Yelachenahalli, Nagasandra, Baiyappanahalli and Mysuru Road. “It has been a long-standing demand of many commuters that trains ply till midnight. We have less time to carry out the changes but it will come into force from January 1,” he said. Currently, the trains ply from 5 am to 11 pm. The trains will continue to ply at 15-minute intervals between 5 am and 8 am, and between 9 pm to 12 am. The last train from Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru Road leaves at 11 pm. This will be extended to 11.25 pm so the train will reach Kempegowda Station at 12 am. The last train from Mysuru Road towards Baiyappanahalli currently leaves at 10.50 pm. This train too, will leave at 11.25 pm from Mysuru Road starting January 1. The train service will stop at 12.30 am after reaching the final destinations. BMRCL officials say that there are a lot more commuters travelling by Green Line and the number of 6-coach trains will increase from December 2020. The number of six-coach trains on green line will increase to 12 by the end of December. The BMRCL has written to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation officials, asking them to extend the timings of metro feeder services to provide last mile connectivity. BMTC officials say that the agency will provide feeder services for commuters who deboard metro trains at 12 am. “Currently, BMTC buses ply till 1 am. However, the number of buses that ply late at night are low. We are looking at increasing the frequency of buses late at night,” the official said.

Body 2:

Environment

According to a survey by the authorities , BDA is the biggest violator, which allowed the construction of a road, park and residential layout.

TNM Staff

File image

More than two weeks after the Hulimavu lake in south Bengaluru breached its bund and flooded hundreds of houses within a 2-km radius stretch, the Karnataka Lokayukta on Tuesday directed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body, to remove all encroachments along the lake within two weeks. The Lokayukta has also directed the BBMP officials to fence the lake, as suggested by the petitioners, before the next hearing. Tuesday’s hearing was part of the 23 petitions submitted by citizenry groups, Namma Bengaluru Foundation and United Bengaluru, in the Lokayukta for the rejuvenation of the city’s ailing water bodies. Hulimavu lake is one of the largest waterbodies in Bengaluru. According to a survey conducted by BBMP in 2017, 19 acres and 26 guntas of the 145-acres of the lake have been encroached upon. It was found that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which is the custodian of the lake, sanctioned the construction of a park, a road and a residential layout called Brindavan Extension (Layout) on the lake land. Read: Lake bund breached in Bengaluru, scores of houses flooded in Hulimavu and BTM layout Following the widely reported lake breach on November 24, the Lokayukta had also visited the lake and carried out an inspection. The Lokayukta also ordered the BBMP to give school books and uniforms to 30 children within a week and also to fulfil the damage redressal for all the 374 houses (per the survey by BBMP) by January 10, 2020. Read: Probe reveals Hulimavu lake bund breached to stop flow of water into temple nearby Earlier, in August 2017, the Lokayukta had ordered a survey, which revealed that the lake has been encroached upon. So far, as per the partial survey carried out by the BBMP authorities, it has been revealed that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is the biggest violator. Reacting to this, freedom fighter H Doreswamy said, “It is sad to note that despite two years of delay, the officials are yet to take corrective measures to rejuvenate and restore the lakes. Being the government body, BDA has itself encroached the land and now it must be seen that the eviction must begin from here.” Commenting on Tuesday’s proceedings, Harish Kumar, the general manager of Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF), said, “NBF and United Bengaluru will form a joint action plan after meeting the Chief Engineer (BBMP). We will also meet the BBMP Commissioner to implement the ‘fencing for all lakes’ issue as a first and immediate action, and then remove the encroachment immediately thereafter. We will also submit a report on the inspection of new lakes to the Lokayukta and file rejoinders to the existing lake petition.”

Body 2:

Coffee Plantation

Adding the cheaper chicory to coffee keeps prices low, but the practice is hurting coffee growers by reducing the demand for their coffee.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Representative image

When you look at a packet of coffee powder, there’s every chance you will find that the word “chicory” is mentioned, along with its percentage, yet not many consider why this is the case. What is chicory, and why is it included in our coffee? Chicory is a carbohydrate-rich root that was originally found in France. During the Second World War, most of the world was going through rationing. Since chicory is much cheaper than coffee, but similar in taste, the French began adding chicory to their coffee in order to stretch their coffee supplies. This habit was taken up by the British, who brought the idea to India. However, most countries have since stopped the practice of adding chicory to their coffee, and use coffee in its purest form, without any additives. Chicory flower and root. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons In India, however, the chicory practice continues. The current acceptable amount of chicory in packaged coffee is up to 49%, according to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Marketers like Bru’s Green Label utilise this limit to the fullest. Chicory is mainly grown in parts of Gujarat for Indian consumers. The prices have remained a fraction of the price of coffee: Rs 60 per kg, against the market price of best quality coffee at around 150 per kg at wholesale rate. Adding the cheaper chicory to coffee keeps prices low, but the practice hurts coffee growers by reducing the demand for their coffee. “It is actually cheating the consumer by calling a ‘chicory mix’ as coffee. Coffee is not as soluble in water as chicory is, since coffee’s solubility is 30% whereas chicory’s solubility is as high as 70%. So, even if the chicory content is only 30%, the taste of the brew will be dominated by chicory. It will not be coffee, as it is currently being marketed,” says Vishwanath KK, organising secretary of the Karnataka Growers Federation. “We suggest that such products be labelled as ‘Chicory with coffee added’.” Coffee growers in the state of Karnataka have been requesting the FSSAI to reduce the acceptable ratio from 49% to around 30% of chicory content. In a report titled “Status of Indian Coffee 2019”, the Karnataka Growers Association has enumerated its demands regarding a minimum support price and better research into the management of the white borer pest. The government also needs to look out for producers in the country, says Vishwanath, adding, “We demand better prices for our coffee. In a country where the food inflation is steady at 3.18% while we are paying GST of up to 12%, and current inflation is at 7.62%, where are the profits? The producers with small holdings are suffering, and there are hardly any margins. At this rate, people will move away from cultivation and India will be forced to import everything, which is unsustainable.” There’s also the problem of low production of coffee. The main problem seems to be the white stem borer, which lays its eggs in the bark of the Arabica plant, the more expensive variety of coffee. There is currently no other way to manage it except to burn the entire plant. A plantation crop, the Arabica coffee plant takes up to 8 years to mature, and pest infestation causes huge losses to the producers. Changing climate pattern is also affecting coffee production: in the past two years, there have been heavy rains and flooding in parts of the Western Ghats, which has affected global supply, as reported by the international media. All this means that the coffee growers need to fight for better demand for their produce, and better prices. Pagalkumar, who is the Director of Pioneer Chicory, says that they would actually prefer if chicory is sold separately. “In South India, most people prefer to have chicory in their coffee. Even if the market moves away from selling coffee mixed with chicory, we are confident that people will continue to buy it separately as it is part of their taste preference. The move would benefit us,” he adds.

Body 2:

Politics

Yediyurappa said he would make all the 11 winners ministers as he had promised them for bringing the party back to power.

IANS

The second Cabinet expansion of the over four-month-old BJP government in Karnataka would take place after party chief Amit Shah approved the names to be finalised soon, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said on Tuesday."The Cabinet will be expanded soon after Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi approve the names to be finalised in consultations with the party high command when I go to Delhi in 3-4 days," Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru. As declared on Tuesday after the ruling party won 12 of the 15 Assembly seats in the December 5 bye-elections, Yediyurappa said he would make all the 11 winners ministers as he had promised them for bringing the party back to power."I am committed to honour the word I have given them for resigning their Assembly seats and joining our party to contest and win on our symbol (Lotus). They have to be rewarded for sacrificing their seats, which led to the fall of the previous JD(S)-Congress coalition government in July," recalled Yediyurappa. The first Cabinet expansion took place on August 20 when 17 BJP legislators, including an independent were inducted, with three as deputy chief ministers. In the 34-member ministry, including the chief minister, 16 cabinet posts are vacant to be filled in the second phase of its expansion. Resignations of 17 rebel legislators, including 14 from the Congress and 3 from the Janata Dal-Secular (JD(S)) in mid-July led to the fall of the 14-month-old coalition government on July 23 after its chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy lost the confidence motion he moved on July 18 for want of majority in the Assembly. Though former Assembly speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar disqualified the 17 rebels on July 25-28 for the remaining term of the House that lasts till May 2023, the Supreme Court, however, allowed them to re-contest in the bye-elections on November 13 while upholding their disqualification. Of the 11 winners who defected, 9 are from the Congress and 2 from the JD(S). Two defectors - M.T.B. Nagaraj from the Congress and A.H. Vishwanath from the JD(S) lost in the bye-elections to independent Sharath Kumar Bachegowda and H.P. Manjunath of the Congress. Nagaraj, the richest candidate in the bye-elections was the state housing minister in the previous coalition government. Though independent-turned-Congress defector B.L. Shankar joined the BJP on November 14, he was not given the party ticket to re-contest from Ranibennur in Haveri district. Instead, the party fielded its local leader G. Arun Kumar, who won, defeating K.B. Koliwad of the Congress. In a related development, hectic lobbying began among the ruling party's legislators for grabbing the remaining 5 cabinet posts after 11 posts are filled by the winners. One more Congress defector to the BJP - Munirathna Naidu, is yet to contest as the bye-election to R.R. Nagar in Bengaluru southwest was not held due to litigation in the Karnataka High Court over its results in the May 2018 Assembly polls.

Body 2:

News

The women were on the way to Bengaluru to take part in the protests being held for anganwadi workers on Tuesday.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

When Siddamma Kumbar, a native of Kalaburagi district’s Sugur village, boarded a train headed to Bengaluru to take part in a protest for anganwadi workers, she didn’t expect to be called on to help deliver a baby. Siddamma was among scores of other women who were travelling to Bengaluru to join the protest being held for anganwadi workers on Tuesday, according to the Hindu. Travelling on the Udyan Express from Yadgir on the way to Bengaluru, it was around 2 am when the train was nearing Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh and Siddamma was woken up by the wails of a woman who had gone into labour. 25-year-old Geetha and her husband had boarded the train at Saidapur railway station, near Yadgir. Geetha, who was in a very advanced stage of pregnancy, went into labour in the middle of the night. As per the Deccan Herald, Siddamma woke up to the cries of Geetha and figured out that she had gone into labour. She subsequently woke up her colleagues who were also on the train headed to the protest, who then sprung into action to help Geetha. The women used a sari to cordon off part of the compartment and helped Geetha. Malubai, Mahadevi, Anaveeramma, Mallamma, Jyothi, and Basamma were the other anganwadi workers on board who helped Geetha deliver a healthy baby boy. Geetha’s due date was 10 days away when she went into labour on Monday night. Her mother and family waited at the station in Bengaluru to greet the new mother, father and her newborn grandson. All the anganwadi workers hail from Kalaburagi district. While Siddamma hails from Sugur village, the others belong to Nalawar village in the district. Anganwadi workers from across the state are participating in the protests to demand that preschools be started at anganwadi centres. In addition to this, the protestors also want better pay and facilities to be provided as well.

Body 2:

Education

The committee noted that the lessons on Mysuru would be incomplete without mention of the role Tipu Sultan played.

TNM Staff

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the history of Tipu Sultan being taught to children in schools in Karnataka. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, had earlier made it clear that they were trying to remove all mention of Tipu Sultan from textbooks. However now, the expert committee which was formed to look into the issue, has decided to retain the lessons and said that nothing would be changed. Noting that the lessons on Mysuru would be incomplete without mention of the role Tipu Sultan played, the panel has decided that it is best to keep the Mysore king’s story in textbooks. Speaking to Daijji World, experts reportedly said that Tipu Sultan played an extremely significant role in the South in the fight against the British Empire. Noting that the king had fought off Britishers in four wars in Mysuru alone, the panel of experts has recommended that the lessons continue to stay in print. The committee reviewing the issue comprised several renowned professors in history who notedthat if Tipu Sultan’s story was dropped from books in Mysuru, a significant part of its history would go missing. In the first week of November, the Department of Primary and Secondary Education decided to form a new committee to discuss whether chapters in school textbooks related to the Mysore king Tipu Sultan should be scrapped or modified. The new committee replaced a previously existing one after the state government received backlash for not including any subject matter experts on the committee. When BJP leader BS Yediyurappa took oath as Chief Minister of the state in July, he had made it clear that he and his government would do “everything they can” to remove mention of the Mysore king Tipu Sultan from textbooks in schools in the state.

Body 2:

Opinion

The Tenth Schedule has not stopped defections because it’s a paper tiger with teeth made of soan papdi.

Ragamalika Karthikeyan

Former Karnataka Speaker Ramesh Kumar who disqualified rebels. Courtesy: PTI

Across India, we love our double-action masala movies. Father and son played by the same actor, with little difference in their mannerisms, may be just a different moustache, yes? We love it when a son who has never met his father but looks identical to him, ends up speaking the same dialogues, or doing the same ‘mass’ actions. Flipping a thundu, tossing a cigarette, laughing a sly laugh... But however similar they are, we know they’re different characters. They have different functions in the story. Appa-hero will thinkify, son-hero will finishify. We, the audience, know that thinkifying and finishifying are not the same thing. In our politics and governance, though, our leaders have muddled up this difference quite nicely, and in doing so, they’ve gone against the very essence of our Constitution prescribing three branches of government. We’re supposed to have a Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary, with distinct functions. But if you look at it, the Legislature and the Executive have become one and the same for all practical reasons. The problem with this is – when the thinkers and do-ers are the same, neither does their job properly. And one of the main obstacles to the Legislature doing its job in India is the anti-defection law – or the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. On paper, the anti-defection law, which came into force in 1985, stops people from jumping parties at the drop of a hat – and punishes them if they do jump parties, by disqualifying them from the House. This applies both to the Parliament and state Assemblies. However, in practice, it’s like canned laughter in a supposedly funny TV show. The law simply doesn’t work in stopping our legislators from defecting. Take the most recent case of defections in Karnataka. Seventeen legislators who belonged to the Congress and JD(S) jumped ship – seemingly in suspended animation for a few weeks, before they officially joined the BJP once the Congress-JD(S) government fell in Karnataka. The Speaker – who is the authority in this case – disqualified them. The legislators went to court to challenge this disqualification, but the court upheld it. However, just a few weeks later, all these rebels save three are back in the Karnataka Assembly – this time representing the BJP. So what was the point of the anti-defection law giving power to parties and the Speaker to “punish” these MLAs for defection? What has essentially happened is a bunch of money and time has been wasted. The court’s time, the Speaker’s time, Karnataka Assembly’s time, your and my time. And a whole lot of money to conduct bye-elections in those constituencies. Further, the law says any court case can only happen when the Speaker takes a decision on disqualification. This has been twisted by political parties in power as well. In Andhra Pradesh, when the TDP was in power, several legislators from YSRCP defected to the TDP; but while YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy petitioned the then-Speaker several times, no action was taken to disqualify the legislators. The MLAs continued to sit in the House on treasury benches, and the party couldn’t take the issue to court either. In effect, the Tenth Schedule has not stopped defections because it’s a paper tiger with teeth made of soan papdi. And in a vicious and blurry cycle of cause-and-effect, it strengthens and is strengthened by the mixing of the legislature and the executive. Coming back to our double action. Right now, we see little difference between the legislative wing of the government, and the executive wing of the government. That is, the people who are making our laws and those who are implementing our laws are one and the same. The executing is done by people who win a majority of seats in the Parliament or state Assembly. And unlike in other (flawed) democracies like the US, the laws are also made – physically researched and drafted – by the same people. Our legislators have little power to actually “make” any law. Yes, there are provisions to bring in Private Member Legislations – however, the last time any such law was passed when the makers of our Constitution were still alive and present in Parliament. And therefore, the only “powers” our legislators have is voting. They can say yes or no to the laws the government – made of the winning parties – brings in. Except, guess what. They HAVE TO vote according to what they party tells them to do. Because anti-defection. The Tenth Schedule is essentially stopping our MLAs and MPs – who have been voted in by us, to represent us – from thinking independently about the issues that affect us. It stops our legislators from voting according to their conscience, and according to the interests of their constituents – especially in a diverse country like ours where what is good for someone in UP may not be good for someone in Telangana. It turns them into sheep who simply bleat whatever the “whip” says they should. They’re like the extra in a fight scene who stops his bike to stretch his neck up and see what is happening. For a country that spends so much time and money on elections – surely, the people we’ve taken our time and energy to vote for should have more power? And therefore, more responsibility? More Spidey-sense about what the people who put them in Parliament want, and not just what their party wants? I mean, you wouldn’t cast Rajinikanth as father and son in a film, and simply make father-Rajini stand around like a prop in the background, with nothing to contribute to the plot or the action. Views expressed are the author's own.

Body 2:

BJP wins 12 seats in Karnataka bye-polls, Yediyurappa seals hold on state govt

Former Cong, JD(S) MLAs who won bye-polls to be made ministers says BS Yediyurappa

Ramesh Jarkiholi, the man who started the rebellion in Congress, wins in Gokak

Independent Sharat Bachegowda defeats BJP heavyweight MTB Nagaraj in Hoskote

Siddaramaiah resigns as Cong Legislature Party leader after Karnataka bye-poll loss

After bye-poll drubbing, Dinesh Gundu Rao resigns as KPCC President

Karnataka bye-poll results: BJP now has more MLAs in Bengaluru than Congress, JD(S)

‘Transfer case to Bengaluru’: Nithyananda rape case whistleblower moves HC

Big victory in bye-polls consolidates Yediyurappa's position in BJP

K’taka HC sets aside reinstatement order of IISc prof accused in sexual harassment case

Karnataka HC orders interim stay on toll collection on Bengaluru-Doddaballapura Road

With bye-poll victory, BJP records its first-ever win in Karnataka's Mandya

With Karnataka bye-polls over, rebels now eye key ministerial berths

Bengaluru Metro to extend time of last train to midnight

Hulimavu lake: Two weeks after bund breach, Lokayukta orders removal of encroachments

Reduce chicory content, give minimum support price: Coffee growers in K’taka demand

Karnataka Cabinet expansion after Amit Shah clears names: CM Yediyurappa

Woman delivers baby on train to Bengaluru with help from anganwadi workers on board

Tipu lessons in Karnataka school textbooks to stay, rules expert panel

Anti-defection law needs to go – it doesn’t work anyway, just look at Karnataka