Bengaluru, Apr 19: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday claimed that the BJP is clandestinely planning to impose Governor's rule in the state.

He was responding to the opposition BJP's allegation that the law and order situation has deteriorated in the state following the murder of the daughter of a city civic body councillor on the campus of her college in Hubballi, which has sparked widespread condemnation and protests.

"The BJP is trying to threaten us... Karnataka has the best law and order... They want to tell voters that they're going to impose Governor's rule. That's what R Ashoka (BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition) is trying confidentially. They want to place the state under Governor's rule, that's why they are doing all this drama. But they can't do that. It's impossible..." Shivakumar said.

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In a shocking incident, Neha Hiremath (23), daughter of Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College on Thursday.

The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was arrested by the police subsequently.

Neha was a first-year Master of Computer Applications (MCA) student and Fayaz was earlier her classmate.

The issue has snowballed into a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP. While the ruling party has tried to project it as an incident with a personal angle, the saffron party has labelled it 'love jihad' and has said it shows the deterioration of law and order in the state.

BJP's student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and other organisations aligned to Hindutva outfits have staged protests demanding justice, and calling for severe punishment for the Muslim accused.

Similar protests have been reported in various other places.

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Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".

Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.

The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.

Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."

Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.

On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.

After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.

Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.

Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.

Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.