CM Siddaramaiah may cash in on caste census report in run up to polls

March 28, 2017

Bengaluru, Mar 28: With chief minister Siddaramaiah keen to play the Ahinda card ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, there is a possibility of the much-awaited socio-economic caste census (SECC) data being revealed.

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According to sources in the chief minister's office, the government recently decided to put the census on the back burner, following objections from senior party leaders. However, the government has been forced to rethink the decision, given that the BJP is going all out to win in Karnataka in the backdrop of its unprecedented performance in Uttar Pradesh. "We are in the process of compiling the report and it may be unveiled soon," said H Kantharaj, chairman, State Backward Classes Commission.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah, too, made his intention clear in his post-budget speech, which categorically mentioned dalits, Muslims and OBCs, the three numerically large communities in the state. He said only the Congress can protect their interests.

Why he's keen on making data public?

As there was no caste-based enumeration after 1931, numerous groups have been demanding the government make the census data public so that they could use it to seek higher representation. In such a scenario, Siddaramaiah is hoping to emerge as the protagonist in their fight for justice by facilitating intra-caste competition.

According to party strategists, the caste data can also change the way elections are fought in Karnataka. The data leaked last year projected the numbers of two politically dominant communities — Lingayats and Vokkaligas who have been traditionally supporting the BJP and JD(S) respectively — to be lower than believed. By making the figures public, the party hopes to woo Ahinda communities by promising to change the way the government has been granting reservation to various castes.

Not just caste reservation, the data has other interesting aspects that could shape political strategy and change the way party tickets are distributed. But some political experts believe making the census public will boomerang on the Congress and create social upheaval.

When the census statistics were was leaked last year, the Congress government received a lot of backlash, especially from Lingayat and Vokkaliga leaders. Many Congress legislators too had opposed it fearing the ire of major communities.

May weaken vote bank: Experts

"The census report may lead to an internal fight among Ahinda groups and weaken the traditional vote bank of Congress. Dalits, who constitute 24% of the state's population, are already fighting over reservation. Madigas, a prominent dalit sub-sect, are seeking implementation of the Justice Sadashiva Commission report while Chalavadi, Bhovia and Lambani sub-sects are opposing it," said Mahadev Prakash, a political commentator.

Political analyst Sandeep Shastri said the caste census report will have both positive and negative implications. "Figures of the nine dominant backward castes may see a sharp rise while dominant caste numbers are likely to decline steeply. The government wants to cash in on the projection of non-dominant OBCs and hope for no negative impact from dominant castes. At another level, the Congress could focus on non-dominant OBCs, keeping in mind that dominant castes are anyway not in its favour."

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 19: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the Congress will split in three months after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and its impact will be visible on the Siddaramaiah-led state government.

"Due to internal squabbles, the state government will not last long," the BJP leader said.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said the sitting MP from the Gadag-Haveri constituency, Shivakumar Udasi, has done a lot of development work and implemented the Central government's schemes effectively.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will surely become the PM for the third time. The overall response has been good in the Gadag-Haveri Lok Sabha constituency," the former Karnataka chief minister said.

Asked if he was contesting the election in a half-hearted manner in the Gadag-Haveri seat, Bommai said "such a question does not arise when the party's high command gives instructions".

He said he would respect his opponent and not take anyone lightly. 

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News Network
March 26,2024

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has detained two suspects in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Bengaluru, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

The preliminary probe has revealed that the two suspects were in direct contact with the suspected bomber.

The NIA sleuths have picked up the suspects from an area in the state capital. However, a statement is yet to be made by the NIA in this regard.

Even as the investigating agencies, both NIA and state special wing CCB teams have launched an extensive search operation in various states, the bomber has remained elusive. The authorities had obtained the bomber’s images and videos from CCTV footage on March 1, soon after the incident.

Sources said that the sleuths were suspecting that the bomber had come from Tamil Nadu and was staying in a neighbouring state for two months before carrying out the blast.

The hair samples of the accused were gathered from the hat of the accused which he abandoned in Bengaluru near a religious place. The authorities have sent the samples for the DNA testing and were hoping for a breakthrough.

The Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast took place on March 1 on the International Technology Park Limited (ITPL) road in the Brookfield area. Low intensity Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to carry out the blast and nine persons were injured in the incident.

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News Network
March 17,2024

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Bengaluru: The Vokkaliga heartland of the old Mysuru region consisting of several southern districts will be the testing ground for the recently forged BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling Congress will now look to consolidate its gains that it made in the assembly elections in May last year when it made inroads into the strongholds of the regional party headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in these districts.

In the 2019 Pariamentary elections, the Congress and JD(S) fought together but secured only one seat each in the state. The BJP bagged 25 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress and JD(S) win, in fact, came in the old Mysuru region -- Bangalore Rural and Hassan, respectively, while Mandya seat went to an independent backed by the BJP.

This time, the JD(S) has an alliance with BJP. According to sources, the JD(S) is likely to be alloted Hassan, Mandya and Kolar seats in the region, from where Deve Gowda's party draws its strength from in Karnataka.

The JD(S) is now looking to bounce back after the drubbing it received in the May assembly polls.

The Congress and JD(S) are considered to be traditional rivals in the region, where the BJP has also been improving its vote-share.

The BJP-JD(S) alliance hopes to counter the Congress' surge in the region, determined to consolidate Vokkaliga votes in their favour and banking on the Modi charisma. Both parties also hope to gain from each other with this alliance.

The Congress is hoping to further its prospects and continue its dominance in the region, with the help of its strong local leadership and riding on its five guarantee schemes.

Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state President D K Shivakumar, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister come from this region, and so does JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy, a former CM and that party's state President.

According to a political analyst, 'coordination among local leaders and transfer of votes between the parties are going to be key for the BJP-JD(S) alliance to click.' Lack of trust between sizeable workers and leaders of both parties on the ground had proved to be counterproductive for Congress and JD(S) combine in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, resulting in their rout and helping the BJP.

Both Congress and BJP have announced candidates for some seats in the region for the 2024 polls.

The Congress has re-nominated D K Suresh, brother of Shivakumar, from Bangalore Rural.

Interestingly, the BJP has fielded the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore and noted cardiac surgeon and Deve Gowda's son-in-law, Dr C N Manjunath, from Bangalore Rural.

In Karnataka, the Lok Sabha elections will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7.

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