CM Yediyurappa exudes confidence, ‘We will win at least 13 seats in the Karnataka bypolls’
Bengaluru, Dec 08: People of Karnataka having lot of hopes on us, we will win the majority of seats in the bypolls, we will complete our tenure with development based governance, he said.
With exit polls by local news channels and agencies predicting BJP getting a clear majority winning 9-12 of the 15 seats, the ruling party leaders are confident the government would complete its term.
On the eve of counting, Yediyurappa told reporters here that his party would win at least 13 seats.
"We will complete our term. Even people have the same expectations from us, he said.
While the BJP has exuded confidence that the people would have voted in favour of the party for stability and development, the Congress and JD(S) were optimistic that the defectors, who have been disqualified and are now the ruling party candidates, would be rejected by the electorate.
BJP had fielded 13 of the 16 disqualified legislators, who joined the party after the Supreme Court allowed them to contest the bypolls, as its candidates from their respective constituencies from where they had won in the 2018 assembly elections on Congress and JD(S) tickets.
BJP and Congress were pitted in direct contest in most of the constituencies that went for the bypolls, in the southern parts of the state JD(S) was also in the fray, making it a triangular fight. In Hoskote, BJP rebel and independent supported by JD(S) Sharth Bachegowda is a key factor.
In case the BJP fails to garner the required number of seats to retain majority, the state may witness another bout of political drama.
Speculations were rife about Congress and JD(S), which had parted ways on a bitter note after the collapse of the Kumaraswamy government, coming together and form a coalition ministry again, though leaders of the two parties have sent mixed signals on such a possibility ahead of the polls.
The bypoll results are also crucial for Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah who faced growing discontent against his unilateral style of functioning and selection of candidates for the polls.
The poll outcome is also keenly awaited by JD(S)' Kumaraswamy who aims to keep his flock together amid threats of further internal bickering.
If the ruling BJP cruises to majority, Yediyurappa has a tough task of cabinet expansion ahead of him.
He will have to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators in his ministry as promised by him and also make place for old-guards, who have been upset over being "neglected" in the first round.
Including the Chief Minister, currently there are 18 ministers in the cabinet, whose sanctioned strength is 34.
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Uber, Ola partner with Bengaluru Police on safety
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru City Police (BCP) on Monday said that it has, in collaboration with cab aggregator platforms Uber and Ola, implemented a technology-driven integration aimed at enhancing the safety of riders and drivers.
It would also strengthen emergency response mechanisms across the city.
As part of this initiative, emergency call facilities have been incorporated within the Uber and Ola mobile applications used for booking rides, it said.
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Through this integration, riders and drivers seeking emergency assistance can directly share real-time location data, trip details, and contact information with Bangalore City Police's 112 emergency response infrastructure from within the Uber/Ola app itself, an official release said.
Noting that this seamless flow of critical information enables quicker police access during emergencies, facilitating faster response times and potentially life-saving interventions by first responders, it said the initiative is a significant step towards leveraging technology partnerships to ensure safer urban mobility and improved public safety.
