What helped in breaking logjam over Karnataka CM pick?

News Network
May 18, 2023

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Bengaluru, May 18: Several top Congress leaders from party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were involved in hectic parleys with Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar which finally helped to break the logjam over the top post in Karnataka.

Ever since the Karnataka Assembly results were declared on May 13, both the leaders started garnering support of MLAs close to them while mustering support for themselves.

The supporters of both, meanwhile, started building up the momentum in support of their respective leader and a poster war erupted.

As the race for the top post heated up, Kharge appointed three observers -- Sushilkumar Shinde, Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria -- and the first meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was convened on May 14. Supporters of both the leaders continued to raise the pitch by raising slogans in support of their leaders outside the CLP meeting venue.

All Congress MLAs authorised the party chief to appoint a leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), who would also be the new chief minister.

Keeping the consultation process alive, the newly-elected MLAs had authorised Kharge to appoint the new CLP leader, after which the scene shifted from Bengaluru to Delhi. The observers also held one-on-one consultations with all MLAs and sought a secret ballot from all of them, the results of which were tabulated and shared with party chief the next day.

In the national capital, the three observers along with party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and AICC general secretary in-charge Randeep Surjewala arrived and held a meeting with Kharge.

With Siddaramaiah emerging as the frontrunner in the race and after the report of observers, the party leadership asked him and Shivakumar to arrive in Delhi for further consultations. While Siddaramaih arrived on Monday evening, Shivakumar cancelled the meeting citing health issues.

This complicated the situation for the party as it hardened its stand against Shivakumar, who arrived the next day.

Tuesday saw the entry of Rahul Gandhi in the consultation process, who drove down to Kharge's residence and held a meeting on the Karnataka government formation for over an hour-and-a-half.

A series of fresh consultations started once again with Kharge meeting both of them separately, as also with the two general secretaries on Tuesday.

The final round of talks started on Wednesday when both the leaders met Rahul Gandhi at his residence. In the meantime, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah also spoke to Sonia Gandhi, who was away in Shimla on a vacation. Sonia also asked Shivakumar to speak to Kharge and Rahul to sort out the matter, sources said.

The hectic parleys continued from Monday and went on till the wee hours of Thursday to break the deadlock in deciding on the Congress' chief ministerial pick in Karnataka as both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar presenting their cases before the top brass.

The leadership issue in Karnataka lingered as Shivakumar had dug his heels in and asserted that he be made the chief minister as the party staged a stunning victory in the southern state under his presidency.

Sources said after Rahul Gandhi told both the leaders to sit together and work out a solution with Kharge, it was the party chief who told Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to hold talks with Venugopal and Surjewala, and sort out the differences and agree to Siddaramaiah as chief minister, whose leadership abilities and mass support helped him clinch the top post.

The decision, sources said, was chalked out in the wee hours of Thursday when all parties agreed to accomodate confidantes of both the leaders and asked Shivakumar to continue on the post of state Congress chief till the next year's Parliamentary elections.

To maintain his number 2 position in the Karnataka government, Shivakumar was made the only deputy chief minister.

The chief minister and his deputy along with over 20 ministers in the cabinet would take oath on May 20 in Bengaluru, where leaders of several political parties would also be invited.

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News Network
October 27,2024

Mangaluru, Oct 27: Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta has been appointed to the consultative committee of the Ministry of Defence. 

This esteemed committee, led by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, comprises 14 members from the Lok Sabha, six from the Rajya Sabha, and two nominated members. 

Capt. Chowta is among the 14 members selected from the Lok Sabha to represent the voice of the people in this critical sector.

The committee is tasked with providing expert advice to the government on key defence policies, implementation strategies, and national security matters.

Meetings will be held regularly to ensure informed, timely guidance on these crucial issues, according to a press release from MP Chowta's office.

“With our country making strides towards self-reliance in defence under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it’s an honour to serve as a member of the Ministry of Defence Advisory Committee. As both a soldier and a parliamentarian, this role is a true privilege,” expressed Capt. Chowta.

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News Network
October 22,2024

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Bengaluru, Oct 22: Heavy rainfall has once again turned Bengaluru’s streets into rivers, with large-scale waterlogging paralyzing India’s IT capital. As residents brace for more storms, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts a day filled with thunderstorms, predicting minimum temperatures around 21°C.

"Bengaluru is expected to see a cloudy sky today, with light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms impacting both urban and rural regions," stated the IMD. The maximum temperature is likely to reach 29°C, while the minimum will hover at 21°C.

Waterlogged streets have significantly slowed down traffic, with major bottlenecks reported along Sarjapura Road near the Wipro and RBD Layout junctions, according to police reports.

The flooding has sparked fresh criticism from opposition parties, who have seized the opportunity to target the Congress-led state government’s handling of the city's infrastructure.

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News Network
October 22,2024

Bengaluru, Oct 22: Torrential rains wreaked havoc in Karnataka’s capital on Monday night, leading to significant flight disruptions at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). According to airport authorities, over 20 flights were delayed due to the downpour, as reported by ANI.

Among the diversions were an Air India flight from Delhi and three IndiGo flights from Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh, all rerouted to Chennai. A Thai Lion Air flight from Thailand also had to be diverted to Chennai amid the heavy rainfall.

After western Bengaluru bore the brunt of Sunday’s rains, it was the northern, southeastern, and eastern parts of the city that were pounded by intense thundershowers on Monday. Rainfall across the city varied from light to very heavy, leaving many areas waterlogged.

By 11 PM, Sahakaranagar and Yelahanka in northern Bengaluru had received 154.4 mm and 110 mm of rainfall, respectively, according to data from Weather Union, a platform for crowd-sourced weather information. Other areas that saw heavy downpours included Devanahalli and Koramangala (88.2 mm each), HSR Layout (81.6 mm), and BEL Road (70.4 mm).

While RR Nagar, the most affected neighborhood on Sunday, saw a significant drop with only 19.4 mm of rainfall on Monday evening, other areas faced relentless showers. HAL airport recorded 42.3 mm of rain until 8:30 PM, with a monthly total of 228.5 mm, far exceeding the normal average of 177.3 mm.

Kempegowda International Airport recorded 105 mm of rainfall, while GKVK saw 21.2 mm as rains intensified late into the night, leaving northern and eastern Bengaluru grappling with the aftermath.

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