Congress will win, get over 120 seats: Siddaramaiah
Mysuru, May 12: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that he was "very confident" of the ruling Congress retaining power in the southern state by winning over 120 seats.
"We are very confident of retaining power. There is no question of a hung Assembly at all," an upbeat Siddaramaiah told reporters before voting in Mysuru district, about 150 km southwest of Bengaluru.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Ministerial face, B.S. Yeddyurappa, said earlier that people were with the BJP and that he will form the government by winning 145-150 seats.
"On the evening of May 15, I will go and meet the Prime Minister and invite him for the swearing-in ceremony on May 17," Yeddyurappa told the media.
Responding to Yeddyurappa, Siddaramaiah said: "Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. The Congress will get more than 120 seats.
"Poor people from all communities are with us and the Congress will get a clear majority. There is no doubt, no confusion on this. We will come back to power. We will get more than 120 seats."
Siddaramaiah, along with his son Yathindra, voted from the Varuna Assembly segment amid cheering outside by scores of supporters.
The Chief Minister is contesting from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district in the state's northwest region. He has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.
Brisk polling is taking place on Saturday for 222 of the 224 seats in the Karnataka Assembly
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
