Historic win for BJP in Belagavi; CM confident of electing BJP Mayors in Hubballi-Dharwad & Kalaburagi too

News Network
September 6, 2021

Bengaluru, Sep 6: It was a sweet and sour day for the BJP on results day of the municipal corporation polls held in three cities of Karnataka.

While the party registered a historic win in Belagavi municipal corporation election, the party failed to get a clear majority in Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi municipal corporations.

The BJP emerged as the single-largest party in Hubballi-Dharwad corporation by winning 39 seats out of 82 seats and came a close second to the Congress in Kalaburagi civic body by winning 23 seats out of 55 seats.

However, the BJP is satisfied with its performance in Kalaburagi as the party had just won seven seats in the last elections.

This election, it put up a ground breaking performance by tentatively winning 23 seats. The Congress won 26 seats and the remaining seats were won by others.

However, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai exuded confidence of sewing up majorities in Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi city corporations, with the support of other candidates, including JDS.

"The municipal corporation elections were almost a sample test for me after one month of my taking over as the chief minister. Out of the three municipal corporations, we have got a majority in two of the municipal corporations," he told reporters here.

"In the third one also (Kalaburagi), we are going to make the majority. We are in a very close race, but we are going to make the majority there also. So, all three corporations will have BJP mayors," he added.

Bommai also said it is a clean sweep for the party and a drubbing for the Congress.

These polls were a litmus test for Bommai, more so in Hubballi-Dharwad, which is his hometown. It also is the hometown of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar.

Despite the presence of these leaders, the party failing to get a clear majority is a setback for Bommai as some voices within the party would target him, questioning his electoral leadership.

For BJP, Hubballi-Dharwad has been its stronghold for more than two decades and it was looking to complete a hat-trick this election, but could not as factionalism played spoilt sport.

Ahead of the election, the BJP had expelled 16 leaders for anti-party activities. The rebels had raised voice against the party for not giving them tickets.

Out of these rebel candidates, two of them won their respective wards. The party fell three short of the required majority of 42 out of the toral 82 seats.

The Congress managed to get the second largest share of 33 seats while the remaining went into the kitty of Independents, two of them were revel BJP aspirants.

To get a clear majority, the BJP will either have to get support from three Independents including two rebel BJP aspirants who won the election.

In Kalaburagi, JDS has emerged kingmaker as it won four seats, which has almost decided to lend support to the BJP, which garnered 23 seats.

Also, one rebel BJP candidate is expected to support the saffron party, which would take the total to 28 seats, which is a majority mark for any party to win an election.

BJP registers historic win in Belagavi

However, BJP registered a historic win after the party got a clear majority in the Belagavi city corporation election.

BJP got a clear majority in Belagavi city corporation elections, which has attracted the attention of the entire Maharashtra including Karnataka.

According to the results so far, the BJP won 39 wards, while Congress won ten out of the total 58 wards. Other parties managed to bag 13 seats, out of which, MES won just two seats.

The BJP had campaigned vigorously and aggressively in this election, which bore fruits for the party.

On the resounding win in Belagavi corporation polls, senior BJP leader and minister KS Eshwarappa said he was sure of the party winning in Belagavi because people there are staunch nationalist supporters.

Also, Belagavi has been BJP's stronghold in general and assembly elections, he said.

Asked if the results were in favour of BJP in two corporation polls, Eshwarappa said the victories suggest that the people of the two cities have acknowledged the good work carried out by Bommai in ministerial capacities.

However, BJP's politics does not revolve around individual politics, but around party, sangh parivar and leadership, he stated. "Because of these three factors, the party wins most of the elections. People have tremendous faith in the party, leadership and sanghatane," he added.

On Kalaburagi poll results, Eshwarappa said though people are benefiting from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, Muslims have not been voting for the party.

"Looking at what is happening in Afghanistan which is under Taliban's control, Muslim voters one day pin faith in PM Modi's Sab Ka Saath Sabka Vikas, and they will vote for BJP," he said.

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Agencies
March 19,2025

Kanpur (UP): The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad on Wednesday arrested an employee of the Kanpur Ordnance Factory for allegedly sharing classified and sensitive information with a Pakistani intelligence operative through social media, according to a statement.

The accused, identified as Kumar Vikas, was employed as a Junior Works Manager at the Kanpur Ordnance Factory, the ATS said in the statement.

He was in contact with a suspected Pakistani agent who used the alias "Neha Sharma", it said. Investigations revealed that Vikas had been sending confidential documents and sensitive data related to ordnance manufacturing, employee attendance sheets, machine layouts, and production charts via WhatsApp.

On March 13, ATS arrested another Ordnance Factory employee, Ravindra Kumar, from Hazratpur, Firozabad, for similar offenses. His interrogation led ATS officials to Vikas, who had also been in contact with the suspected Pakistani agent since January 2025.

Authorities said the Pakistani agent introduced herself as an employee of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and initially contacted Vikas on Facebook. They later exchanged mobile numbers and continued their communication on WhatsApp.

To avoid detection, they used the Ludo gaming app for covert conversations, the statement read. Vikas was allegedly lured by financial incentives to pass on classified information, it said.

Kumar Vikas has been taken into custody and further legal proceedings are under way.

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News Network
March 20,2025

actors.jpg

Hyderabad: A police case has been registered in Telangana against 25 celebrities, including prominent actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi, for allegedly endorsing illegal betting apps. The FIR was lodged following a complaint by businessman Phanindra Sarma.

The list of accused celebrities and influencers also includes Praneetha, Nidhi Agarwal, Ananya Nagalla, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Harsha Sai, Sunny Yadav, Shyamala, Tasty Teja, and Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha.

According to the FIR, these individuals promoted betting platforms through social media advertisements, encouraging users to invest money in illegal online gambling. "These platforms deal with transactions worth thousands of lakhs of rupees, pushing several families—especially from middle-class and lower-middle-class backgrounds—into financial distress," states the complaint.

The complainant alleged that many people have lost their savings due to these apps. He claimed that he himself almost deposited money on one such platform but refrained after being warned by his family. The FIR further accuses the celebrities of accepting substantial remuneration to endorse these apps, thereby influencing the public—particularly those facing financial hardship—to invest and eventually fall into addiction, leading to severe financial consequences.

The case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act, and applicable state laws concerning cheating and online fraud.

Reacting to the FIR, actor Prakash Raj clarified that he had endorsed such a platform back in 2015 but opted out within a year. He stated that he is currently gathering more details about the case.

This development comes amid heightened scrutiny of Telugu cinema celebrities. Notably, it follows the controversial arrest of Allu Arjun in December after a tragic incident at the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule in Hyderabad, where a woman lost her life due to a chaotic crowd surge. Police had claimed the actor’s presence at the event was unplanned and that no security measures were in place to control the large turnout.

The arrest of Allu Arjun had ignited a heated debate, drawing criticism from political opponents of the ruling Congress and key figures in the film industry. In response to the controversy, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy met with a delegation of filmmakers and actors, reassuring them of the state’s support for the film industry while asserting that law and order would remain a priority.

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News Network
March 21,2025

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Friday passed Bills doubling the salaries of the chief minister, ministers, and legislators, adding an annual burden of ₹62 crore on the exchequer.

The CM's monthly salary will increase from ₹75,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, while ministers will see a 108% hike, from ₹60,000 to ₹1.25 lakh. MLAs and MLCs will get ₹80,000 per month, up from ₹40,000, and their pension will rise from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.

The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill were passed without debate, as the Opposition BJP protested in the well of the House.

The Bills cited the rising cost of living as justification for the hike. The Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson will now receive ₹1.25 lakh per month, up from ₹75,000.

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