BJP wins 3 of 6 Karnataka legislative council seats
Bengaluru, June 13: Karnataka's opposition BJP won three of the six legislative council seats in the June 8 biennial election held in the three Teachers and three Graduates constituencies across the state, said the Election Commission on Wednesday.
The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) won two and the Congress one after vote count of paper ballots cast in the state's 30 districts where the respective constituencies were formed after delimitation.
"The BJP won the South-East Teachers constituency, South-West Graduates and Bangalore Graduates constituencies, while the JD-S won from South-West Teachers and South Teachers constituencies and Congress from North-East Graduates constituency," said the poll panel on its website.
BJP contestant Y.A. Narayanaswamy won the South-East Teachers seat with 8,479 votes, defeating JD-S nominee Ramesh Babu who polled 6,607 votes.
Similarly, BJP candidate Aayunuru Manjunatha won from South-West Graduates seat, securing a whopping 25,210 votes as against 16,157 votes by S.P. Dinesh of Congress.
BJP nominee A. Devegowda won the Bangalore Graduates seat, polling 17,702 votes and defeating Ramoji Gowda of Congress who got 12,838 votes.
JD-S candidate S.H. Bhoje Gowda won the South-West Teachers seat with 8,677 votes defeating BJP's Ganesh Karnik who polled 5,812 votes.
JD-S contestant Marithibbe Gowda won the South Teachers seat with 11,022 votes as against 6,805 votes by M. Lakshmamma of Congress.
Congress contest B. Chandrashekhar won the North-East Graduates seat with 18,768 votes as against 18,447 votes polled by BJP's K.B. Srinivas.
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At least 200 dead in Congo coltan mine collapse, authorities say, as rebels dispute toll
Goma (Congo) (AP): A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine.
The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, according to a press release from the Ministry of Mines on Wednesday.
Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused by “bombings” and only five people had been killed.
“I can confirm that what people are publishing is not true. There was no landslide; there were bombings, and the death toll isn't what people are saying. It's simply about five people who died,” Kaj said.
Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover over 200 bodies from the area.
“We are afraid, but these are lives that are in danger,” said Taluseke. “The owners of the pits do not accept that the exact number of deaths be revealed.”
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The country produced about 40 per cent of the world's coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers. Over 15 per cent of the world's supply of tantalum comes from Rubaya's mines.
In May 2024, M23 seized the town and took control of its mines. According to a UN report, since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have imposed taxes on the trade and transport of coltan, generating at least USD 800,000 a month.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Various conflicts have created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, including more than 300,000 who have fled their homes since December.
In June, the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace deal brokered by the US and negotiations continue between rebels and Congo. However, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, continuing to claim numerous civilian and military casualties.
The deal between Congo and Rwanda also opens up access to critical minerals for the US government and American companies.
A similar collapse last month killed over 200.
