1. Karnataka: Independent MLAs H Nagesh and R Shankar Withdraw Support
Two independent MLAs, H Nagesh from Mulbagal and R Shankar from Ranebennur, have withdrawn their support from the Karnataka government on Tuesday, January 15.
In a statement to ANI, H Nagesh said: “My support to coalition government was to provide good & stable government, which utterly failed. There's no understanding among coalition partners. So, I decided to go with BJP to install stable government & see that government performs better than the coalition.”
R Shankar said, “Today is Makar Sankranti, on this day we want a change in the government. The government should be efficient, so I am withdrawing my support (to the Karnataka government) today.”
(Source: The Quint)
2. Congress Expresses Confidence After Two MLAs Withdraw Support
Two independent MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly – R Shankar and H Nagesh – on Tuesday, 15 January, withdrew their support from the JD(S)-Congress coalition government ruling in the state. These two MLAs had gone incommunicado two days ago before announcing their decision in Mumbai at a press conference.
The Congress-JD(S) coalition, along with the support of the solitary BSP MLA, has 117 seats in the House, out of a total of 224 seats.
Amid speculations of BJP attempting to poach Karnataka Congress MLAs in Mumbai, Congress’ Zameer Ahmed Khan has expressed confidence in the party’s strength. He has also asserted that Congress MLAs were, in fact, holidaying in Mumbai and will be back on Wednesday, 16 January.
(Source: The Quint)
3. State Celebrates Makara Sankranti
Makara Sankranti, the festival of harvest, was celebrated with much fervour on Tuesday, 16 January. Right from drawing colourful rangolis, decking up houses with mango leaves and offering puja to the cattle, the city wore a rich festive look.
As a part of the traditional ritual, people were seen offering prayers and visited temples in large numbers. Women and children, dressed in their traditional attires, were seen exchanging festive greetings among their neighbours, friends and relatives, by distributing ‘ellu-bella’, a mixture of sesame seeds, groundnuts, roasted gram, coconut and jaggery. Many were seen preparing ‘Pongal’, the traditional festive dish for Sankranthi.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
4. Bengaluru Tops List of World's Most Dynamic Cities: Survey
With a robust technology and innovation ecosystem in place, Bengaluru has emerged as the world's most dynamic city, a recent survey said.
According to a survey by property consultant JLL, following Bengaluru is Hyderabad that is ranked second with Delhi at fourth, Pune at fifth, Chennai at seventh and Kolkata at fifteenth position featuring in top 20 cities.
With 19 of the top 20 cities from Asia Pacific, the rankings highlight and showcase the region's continued rapid urbanisation and strong economic growth.
(Source: Economic Times)
5. Ranji Trophy: Karnataka let Rajasthan off the Hook
On a day that witnessed many doughty performances, Karnataka, to some extent, outshone Rajasthan to leave the second day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal interestingly poised.
At the Chinnaswamy stadium on Tuesday, 15 January, Karnataka’s inability to seize an important moment denied them day's complete honours. After skipper Manish Pandey opted to field, the contest appeared to move according to the script for the hosts. Courtesy a disciplined show with the ball, they reduced Rajasthan to 86/4 at lunch.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
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