Mangaluru, May 16: Congress leader and former minister U T Khader, who was elected from the Mangaluru constituency for the fifth time, on Tuesday said the election this time was fought between truth and lies.

People have voted against the misinformation campaign of the BJP and the Congress will form a government which will be without bias and hatred towards any section of society, Khader said, addressing reporters at the Congress Bhavan here.

He said the Congress will work hard for the development of Karnataka and restore peace and harmony and fulfil all the guarantees promised to the people.

The voters have shown the door to BJP and voted against the politics of hatred and anti-people schemes, he said and thanked the voters of Mangaluru for re-electing him for a fifth term.

ALSO READ: Ramanath Rai announces retirement from electoral politics

To a question, he said the party will review the setback suffered by the party in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts and try to instill confidence among the people.

Khader said the Congress will distribute benefits to all sections of the population without discrimination towards any community unlike the BJP government. The schemes announced in the party's coastal manifesto will also be implemented, he said.

Khader and Ashok Kumar Rai (Puttur) are the only Congress candidates who won from Dakshina Kannada district which has eight seats, while the party drew a blank in Udupi district, where the BJP won in all the five constituencies.

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Bengaluru, Jan 7: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) of which two cases have been detected in the state is not dangerous, but it is good to take precautions.

He told people there is no need to worry, but appealed to them to be cautious.

"We discussed HMPV (at health department meeting). It is not a very worrying virus. It is not the one that is prevalent in China. The virus that has been detected is an existing one. It infects children, aged people and those with less immunity," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The virus is not dangerous. I have spoken to several doctors and experts, but it is good to take precautions."

"I appeal to people, there is no need to worry. But be cautious and take precautions. Health department has advised dos and don'ts, follow them," he added.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has detected two cases of HMPV in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

A three-month-old female infant with a history of bronchopneumonia was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru. She has already been discharged, the ministry said.

An eight-month-old male infant with a history of bronchopneumonia tested positive for HMPV on January 3 after being admitted to Baptist Hospital. He is now recovering, it said.

Neither of the patients had any history of international travel.

To a question about Home Minister G Parameshwara calling a dinner meeting of Congress leaders, ministers and lawmakers from SC/ST communities on January 8, and then postponing it following instruction from the AICC general secretary, the CM said, "I don't know about him calling a meeting and then cancelling it. I will talk to him."

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