Adani Group takes complete hold of IANS news agency
New Delhi: Adani Group, chaired by billionaire Gautam Adani, has completely taken hold of news agency IANS after purchasing the remaining 24 per cent stake, according to a stock exchange disclosure made on Friday. Though the financial terms were not revealed, it is known that the transaction was carried out through AMG Media Networks Limited, the media wing of Adani Enterprises.
Following the transaction, IANS India Private Limited has become a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Adani Enterprises. The company said, “AMNL has executed a Share Purchase Agreement on January 21, 2026, to acquire the balance stake in IANS. Upon completion of the transaction, IANS shall become a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of the company.”
The Adani Group first entered with a majority stake of IANS in December 2023 with the acquisition of a 50.5 per cent stake. This was followed by a further increase in ownership in January 2024, when AMG Media Networks raised its holding to 76 per cent of the voting shares and nearly all of the non-voting shares. The latest transaction concludes the takeover through the purchase of the remaining shares.
Before this acquisition, AMG Media Networks held 76 per cent of Category I shares carrying voting rights and more than 99 per cent of Category II shares without voting rights. The company said the current deal covers the remaining 24 per cent of Category I shares and 0.74 per cent of Category II shares.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
