BJP’s M.P Renukacharya meets CM Siddaramaiah, DyCM D.K Shivakumar
speculations rife over him joining Congress party
Bengaluru: Amidst rising desertions from the BJP and the JD(S), with leaders jumping to the Congress party after its resounding victory in the Vidhan Sabha elections, in a sudden development on Friday, BJP Leader M.P Renukacharya met Chief Minister Siddharamaih and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K Shivakumar, rising speculations over his entry into the grand old party.
Renuakacharya who met both the senior leaders on Friday has stirred curiosity in Karnataka politics following his sudden statement that, “I am a Lok Shaba ticket aspirant from Davangere, concerning which I have sought a ticket for cnstesting from the constituency. However, Iam waiting for the senior leaders say on this.”
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In the meantime, clarifying his stance Renuakacharya stated that he is currently with the BJP itself and is not aware about who will leave the party or not, But I'm still in the BJP party. No one has offered me an opportunity to join the Congress party to this date.
Providing clarity in an interaction with the media following the meeting amidst speculations, he said that “I had visited the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to convey my wishes on the occasion of Varalakshmi festival. In the past I have also met the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and conveyed his wishes at the festivals.”
“"In the Honnali and Nyamati taluks of Davangere district, there is a shortage of rainfall, and I have requested the government to declare both these taluks as drought-affected regions," said Renukacharya.
"I might have faced defeat in the elections, but the people of these taluks have given me with a political future. Therefore, I have requested the government to declare these taluks as drought-affected regions," he informed.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
