1. Yeddyurappa to Share Stage With PM at Only One Rally
BJP’s chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa is scheduled to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi only at one rally, during the latter’s whirlwind campaign tour of Karnataka starting 1 May.
Yeddyurappa has been asked to chalk out his own campaign plan for the rest of the time, creating some discomfiture, party sources said.
BJP national president Amit Shah conveyed the plan to Yeddyurappa when the two leaders met in Bengaluru briefly on Friday, the sources said. Yeddyurappa confirmed to reporters that Shah had asked him to chart an independent campaign schedule. He said his target was to address five public rallies in five Assembly segments every day till 10 May.
Against the backdrop of his son BY Vijayendra being denied a ticket in the last minute, the development is expected to strengthen the whisper campaign among Lingayats in north Karnataka that the BJP may ditch Yeddyurappa after the elections, sources close to him said.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Priest Falls During Firewalking Ritual, Suffers Burns
Vijay Kumar, a 37-year-old priest of the Sri Revanna Siddeshwara Swamy temple in Avverahalli near Ramanagara town sustained severe burn injuries after he slipped and fell on the red-hot embers while performing the fire-walking ritual during temple festivities on Sunday. Manjunath, Vijay’s brother, also sustained burn injuries when he went to his sibling’s rescue.
The incident occurred at around 6.30am on Sunday, the second day of three-day festivities planned by the temple’s trust. The ‘agnikonda’, the strip of burning embers, had been prepared and Kumar, holding a sword, began walking on it. He had covered about half the length of the 15-foot long ‘agnikonda’ when he slipped and fell.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. We’re Farmers, Not Politicians: Siddaramaiah’s Brothers
Rame Gowda, a farmer, sits nonchalantly in front of his house at Siddaramanahundi, as an eager crowd gathers for Siddaramaiah’s arrival. Not many first-time visitors to this village know that the man chatting with farmers is the Chief Minister’s younger brother.
Siddaramaiah’s convoy drives directly to the village temple. There is no stopover at Rame Gowda’s house. But then again, he wasn’t expecting one either.
“We are now used to the fact that he is busy man. We meet him only once a year since he became Chief Minister, sometimes even that doesn’t happen,” says Rame Gowda, a farmer by profession.
(Source: The Quint)
4. II PU Results to be Out Today
The II Pre-University examination results will be announced on Monday. Students can check their score on http://karresults.nic.in andhttp://puc.kar.nic.in.
On 1 May, the results will be published in respective colleges.
In all, 6.9 lakh students – 3,52,292 boys and 3,37,860 girls – appeared for the exams held from 1 March to 17 March . In view of the assembly elections, they were held early this year. Evaluation began on 23 March.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. EC to Set up 18 Pink Polling Stations
The Election Commission will establish 18 ‘pink polling stations’ that will be completely managed by the women staff in the district for the Assembly election.
M Lokesh, Deputy Commissioner, told the press that all the staff at these stations, including presiding officers and polling officers, will be women. Even female security personnel will be deployed here. The polling stations will be painted pink and the staff will be attired in the same colour as well.
He said the objective behind the establishment of pink polling stations was to motivate women voters to exercise their franchise. Of the 18 stations, four are in Shivamogga limits, three each in Sagar and Bhadravati limits while Tirthahalli, Shivamogga Rural, Shikaripur and Sorab segment will have two each.
(Source: The Hindu)
6.Kerala-Bound bus ‘Hijacked’ Near Bengaluru, Passengers Rescued by Police
Passengers of a Kerala-bound private bus from Bengaluru were in for a shock on Friday night when four men on two bikes waylaid them, claiming to be policemen, and demanded they search the bus. The incident occurred on Mysore Road, close to RV College.
The bus operated by Lama Travels with KA01AG636 registration number, had started from Kalasipalyam at around 9:45 pm with 42 passengers on board.
The men on the bike posing as policemen told the bus driver that they wanted to inspect the contents of the bus and directed the bus to a nearby godown.
"They pretended to be police officials and stopped the bus. The driver got down, and then they took over the bus and brought it to a godown and locked it. When we asked if we could be let off, they said they wouldn’t let anyone leave. They allowed their men in, but didn't let any of us leave… Even when we said we will complain to the police, they said ‘do whatever you want’," a passenger told TV reporters.
(Source: The News Minute)