Sunak wins 2nd ballot in Conservative leadership race with 101 votes as 5 left in British PM race
London, Jul 14: Rishi Sunak on Thursday won the second round of ballot in the Conservative leadership race with 101 votes - the most by any contestant so far - tightening his grip on the race to replace Boris Johnson as party leader and British Prime Minister.
There are now five candidates left in the Tory leadership contest after Suella Braverman, the Indian-origin Attorney General in the fray, was knocked off the shortlist with the least votes at 27.
Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (83 votes), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (64 votes), former minister Kemi Badenoch (49 votes) and Tory backbencher Tom Tugendhat (32 votes) remain on the ballot in the narrowing race after the second round of votes were cast by lawmakers.
Soon after 1922 Committee chair Graham Brady read out the results of the latest tally after 356 votes were cast by Tory MPs in a House of Commons committee room, 42-year-old Sunak said he was "incredibly grateful" to the colleagues who backed him.
"I am prepared to give everything I have in service to our nation. Together we can restore trust, rebuild our economy and reunite the country," he said.
The next few rounds of voting among Conservative Party members of Parliament to whittle this list down to just two by next Thursday is scheduled for early next week.
All eyes will now be on which way Braverman and her backers will swing, handing those 27 votes to shore up one of the remaining five.
"I'm convinced that I'm the best person to beat [Opposition Labour leader] Keir Starmer and secure that election victory, Sunak said in an interview earlier.
The British Indian former Chancellor and son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy looks set to be among the final two candidates to hit the campaign trail around the UK for hustings to convince the wider Conservative Party membership ahead of a postal ballot to decide the winner.
At the end of next week, the Conservative Party headquarters will take over to oversee a one member, one vote process among Tories countrywide who have been registered with the party for at least three months.
While Penny Mordaunt has been in the lead in opinion polls among the party electorate base, some of her controversial views on LGBTQ+ rights have come under the scanner among her colleagues. A former Brexit minister, Lord David Frost, also expressed his doubts over her ability as a former minister in his team.
Liz Truss, who made a key policy speech just before Thursday's vote, claims to be the only one who has been "ready to be Prime Minister from day one".
The former Remainer, who campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union (EU) in the 2016 referendum, has since taken a hardline stance and found the backing of many in the Brexit wing of the Tory party. It is believed that Braverman's votes are likely to be divided between her and Mordaunt.
The race is now narrowing down into a three-way fight between Sunak, Mordaunt and Truss with the others expected to throw their weight behind one of these three campaigns in the hope of securing a good Cabinet post under a new leader.
Johnson's successor will be known by September 5 and go on to address the first Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in Parliament on September 7.
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Karnataka Minister directs officials to expedite integration of 28 services in various depts
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil on Thursday directed officials to expedite the integration of the remaining 28 services in various departments under the SWS.
The direction was issued at a review meeting on EoDB and Single Window Committees held at Vidhana Soudha, attended by senior officials from various departments.
In a statement, Patil said, "We face intense competition from neighbouring states. We have studied their policies and regulations and are determined to establish a system that is even more efficient and industry-friendly," he said.
Under the Single Window System, 115 services across 20 departments have already been integrated, the minister said, adding the remaining 28 services have been prioritised for time-bound implementation.
Patil said Revenue, Forest, Home, Environment, Primary Education, Fire Services and Energy departments are among the services.
According to the minister, the goal is to ensure that investors do not lose valuable time and are encouraged to invest in Karnataka.
He sought cooperation of all the government departments to make it happen.
Referring to emerging challenges, he said Karnataka has long been a frontrunner in the IT sector but the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has introduced new uncertainties.
He stressed that all departments, including KIADB, must ensure swift approvals for industrial projects.
Patil underlined that entrepreneurs should not be subjected to "unnecessary delays," he said, adding that clearances for electricity connections, Fire Department NOCs and Pollution Control Board approvals must be issued promptly.
Detailing the reforms, the minister said the time limit for Fire Department NOCs has been reduced from 60 days to 21 days, while electricity connection approvals have been cut from 25 days to 10 days. Permission for lift and escalator operations has been brought down from 40 days to 20 days, and new water connection approvals from 42 days to 30 days, he said.
The Labour Department will now issue industrial licences and boiler registrations within 14 days instead of 30 days, he said, noting that necessary notifications have already been issued.
"These amendments will soon be placed before the Cabinet and formalised through legislation on a fast-track basis," Patil said.
He further stated that timelines at the State Pollution Control Board have been significantly reduced.
Change-of-land-use permission within Bengaluru city limits, which earlier took up to 120 days, will now be granted within 45 days.
With 32 data centres currently operating in the state, Patil underscored the importance of uninterrupted power supply and called for the development of dedicated data centre clusters with exclusive power lines.
A ministerial-level meeting will soon be convened to identify suitable locations and ensure essential infrastructure, including power connectivity, he said.
