Union Minister L. Murugan reviews preparations for WAVES 2025 Summit in Mumbai
Mumbai, April 16: Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan chaired a high-level review meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday to assess preparations for the upcoming World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025. The review was held at the Jio World Convention Centre, the venue for the landmark event scheduled to take place from May 1 to 4.
The meeting was attended by nodal officers from various central ministries and departments, as well as representatives of the Maharashtra State Government. Discussions focused on the progress of activities under the four thematic pillars of WAVES — Broadcasting and Infotainment, AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality), Digital Media and Innovation, and Films.
Minister Murugan reviewed the work being carried out under several key initiatives planned as part of the summit, including WAVES Bazar, WAVEX, Bharat Pavilion, and the "Create in India" challenges. Nodal officers for each vertical presented updates on their areas of responsibility, outlining both completed work and tasks ahead.
The Minister also visited the summit venue to inspect on-ground preparations and interacted with teams coordinating the logistics and infrastructure of the event.
WAVES 2025 is being positioned as a flagship platform to showcase India’s growing capabilities in the global media and entertainment (M&E) industry. The summit will bring together professionals, investors, creators, and innovators from across the world, offering them opportunities to collaborate, explore new technologies, and engage with India’s content ecosystem.
Set to be held for the first time, WAVES aims to project India as a leading hub for creative content, intellectual property, and emerging technologies. Key focus areas include broadcasting, print and digital media, films, animation, music, advertising, social media, generative AI, AR/VR, and immersive XR platforms.
Union Minister of State for @MIB_India Shri @Murugan_MoS chaired a review meeting in Mumbai today for #WAVES2025 with nodal officers from the Govt of India and Maharashtra. He also reviewed on-ground preparations at the summit venue.Officials from various departments were present pic.twitter.com/ccXhWMMGA5
— PIB in Maharashtra 🇮🇳 (@PIBMumbai) April 18, 2025
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
