Karnataka News

The pattern of the Congress crashing out in states it won in the assembly elections has continued in Karnataka, exit polls predicted today. The party, which managed to keep the BJP out of power in the state with a deft alliance with HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular last May, has failed to stem the tide of BJP's popularity.

A man was killed in an explosion near the house of a Congress legislator in Bengaluru today. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, a police officer said. Congress legislator Munirathna, who lives close to where the explosion took place just after 9 am in Bengaluru's Vyalikaval, said he immediately called the police.

Fed up with the differences in the ruling Congress-JDS coalition and the "Siddaramaiah for CM again'' clamour, senior JDS leader Basavaraj Horatti on Saturday suggested that the assembly be dissolved.

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's remarks regarding him not being made Chief Minister was being taken out of context.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's remark that veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge should have been offered the top post long ago has triggered a Twitter debate between him and the ruling coalition coordination committee chief Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa has said it will be a mistake for the Veerashaiva community to vote for the Congress again as the party "insulted" its tallest leader Veerendra Patil, who had served as chief minister twice.

An election commission squad, along with income tax and enforcement directorate sleuths, on Tuesday carried out searches in two hotels in Hubballi where State minister DK Shivakumar and some Congress and JD(S) leaders were staying.

Ruling out any possibility of BJP MLA's switching over to the Congress after the May 23 Lok Sabha poll results, as claimed by All India Congress Committee General Secretary K C Venugopal, the party's state chief B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday dared him to spell out the number of seats the Congress party would win in Karnataka.

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah Tuesday termed the growing clamour within his party to make him chief minister once again as an expression of supporters' "affection", but said he still stands by his word about not contesting the next assembly polls.

Cracks within the ruling coalition partners in Karnataka seem to be widening, with Janata Dal (Secular) state president AH Vishwanath and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accusing each other of not adhering to the "coalition dharma" on key issues.

Karnataka, which is reeling under severe drought, may have to wait till a new government comes to power at the Centre in order to get approval for relief package, according to sources.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy for his stay at a resort, Karnataka BJP Sunday asked him to take time out and look at the city's collapsing infrastructure and drought situation in the state.

JD(S) Karnataka chief H Viswanath's remarks on Siddaramaiah's performance as Chief Minister in the previous government triggered a war of words between the two leaders today, with Mr Siddaramaiah saying he will raise it in the next Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee meeting.

Attacked time and again over shifting loyalty from JD(S) to Congress, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Saturday clarified that he was expelled from that party by former prime minister and its chief HD Deve Gowda.

Asserting that the Congress-JD(S) coalition government will be stable, coordination committee chief and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Friday said no MLA would leave the grand old party and go with the BJP.