Feb 17: 1,579 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, 23 fatalities
Bengaluru, Feb 17: Karnataka on Thursday reported 1,579 fresh cases of coronavirus and 23 fatalities, taking the tally to 39,33,115 and toll to 39,738.
There were 5,079 discharges, pushing the total number of recoveries to 38,73,580, a Health bulletin said.
Of the new cases, 769 were from Bengaluru Urban that saw 1,889 people being discharged and 7 virus-related deaths.
The total number of active cases across the state is now 19,761.
While the positivity rate for the day stood at 1.74 per cent, the case fatality rate (CFR) was 1.45 per cent.
Of the 23 deaths, 7 are from Bengaluru Urban while Bagalkote, Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, Mandya and Mysuru reported two fatalities each, followed by others.
After Bengaluru Urban, Tumakuru recorded the second highest number of cases at 84, followed by Mysuru (83), Belagavi (73), Ballari (55), Dakshina Kannada (43) and others.
Bengaluru Urban district now has a total of 17,73,991 cases, Mysuru 2,28,935 and Tumakuru 1,59,439.
Cumulatively, a total of 6,37,96,509 crore samples have been tested, of which 90,688 were on Thursday alone.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
