oppn parties Karnataka Votes Today: Congress, BJP or Hung?

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Tragedy in Kolkata: Stampede at the Chor Bagan Pujo results in 18 people losing their lives and scores injured /////// The stampede was caused by a sudden downpour which made people in the heavy crowd run for cover
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Karnataka Votes Today: Congress, BJP or Hung?

By Slogger
First publised on 2018-05-12 07:40:20

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
The cacophony has died out and Karnataka will vote today to elect its next government. The state has a reputation for being a swing state. For the last 33 years, it has never returned an incumbent to power. That, and an all-out charge from the BJP, is what the Congress and Siddaramaiah are facing in their bid to capture power once more.

Despite the acrimonious nature of the campaign – charges and counter-charges flew thick and fast – no party managed to create a wave, neither in its own favour nor against the opposition. The voter has kept his cards close to his chest and successive opinion polls have shown that the state is headed for a hung assembly.

Siddaramaiah’s governance record has been most ordinary. Bangalore has been allowed to descend into an urban mess due to extreme neglect. The rest of the state is suffering from the predominance of Bangalore and the concentration of power, money and business there. There is farmer distress and the countryside is angry. Sidda has tried to deflect criticism by harping on Modi’s record at the Centre, the BJP’s Hindi speaking-North India party credentials and has tried to use caste by demanding minority status for the Lingayats. The results will show whether the people have bought his arguments.

The BJP on the other hand has highlighted Sidda’s poor governance and the plight of Bangalore to the hilt. It has also tried to use the usual Modi tactic of sabka saath sabka vikas and running down the Congress on the basis of corruption and dynastic politics. But with the scam-tainted Reddy brothers campaigning for the party, it remains to be seen the pot will get by calling the kettle black. One thing is sure; there is no wave in the favour of the BJP.

The joker in the pack is the JD(S). Although the Congress has doubted its potential of dividing the secular vote, it cannot be taken lightly, more so when MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi from neighbouring Telengana campaigning for the party. The JD(S) has its pockets of support and is most likely to emerge as the kingmaker. The BJP knows this and has tried to use this to its advantage.

At the end of it all, it is the people who have a special knack of choosing wisely. If they return a hung assembly, it is clear that they want an alliance to rule, preferring not to let one party get too strong. It depends on who gets how many seats before an alliance can take shape.

pic courtesy: news karnataka

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