Jan 23: Karnataka reports over 50,000 COVID-19 cases
Bengaluru, Jan 23: Karnataka on Sunday added 50,210 fresh infections to its cumulative COVID-19 tally and 19 deaths taking the total caseload and fatalities to 35,17,682 and 38,582 respectively.
This the second time when the state has crossed 50,000 daily infections. On May 5, 2021, the state had reported 50,112 infections. However, back then the daily fatalities were quite high with 346 deaths on a single day, whereas on Sunday it was 19.
In its daily bulletin, the state's health department said 22,842 people were discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 31,21,274. The active cases in the state stood at 3,57,796.
The infections on Sunday were mainly driven by Bengaluru, which contributed more than half of the total infections -- 26,299. The city also reported eight deaths.
Other districts too had fresh cases including 4,359 in Mysuru, 1,963 in Tumakuru, 1,922 in Hassan, 955 in Dharwad, 947 in Udupi, 925 in Bengaluru Rural and 904 in Ballari.
There were deaths in 10 districts, including eight in Bengaluru and two each in Shivamogga and Tumakuru. There were zero fatalities in 21 districts.
The positivity rate for the day was 22.77 per cent and the case fatality rate was 0.03 per cent.
A total of 2,20,459 samples were tested in the state including 1,76,337 RT-PCR tests on Sunday, taking the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 6.05 crore.
There were 76,373 inoculations done taking the total vaccinations so far to 9.33 crore, the department said.
To view today's health bulletin: CLICK HERE
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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.
