CM Kumaraswamy meets Rahul Gandhi, assures coalition govt functioning smoothly
New Delhi, May 30: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday and conveyed to him that the state government was functioning smoothly and there was coordination between ruling coalition partners JD(S) and the Congress.
Kumaraswamy's meeting with the Congress chief comes in the backdrop of voices of dissent gaining ground in the ruling coalition in the southern state after two Congress MLAs met former chief minister S M Krishna at his Bengaluru residence on Sunday.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal is in Bengaluru currently to placate the disgruntled state leaders.
"The CM apprised Rahul Gandhi of the current political situation in the state and said the coalition government in the state is functioning smoothly with cooperation and coordination between both the parties," an official statement said.
During the brief meeting, the Janata Dal (Secular) leader also urged Gandhi not to quit as the Congress chief, saying "the nation needs his service", the statement added.
Kumaraswamy also discussed the outcome of the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka with Gandhi.
The coalition government in the southern state has been fragile since its inception with reports of its collapse surfacing every now and then.
Following the drubbing of the Congress-JD(S) combine in the Lok Sabha election, where the two parties managed to win only one seat each in Karnataka, a senior Congress leader had claimed that the state government would collapse after June 10.
Two Congress MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi and Sudhakar met BJP leaders at Krishna's residence, though they later claimed that their visit was not political.
The BJP, with 105 legislators, is the single-largest party in the 225-member Karnataka Assembly, while the ruling coalition has 117 MLAs 79 of the Congress, 37 of the JD(S) and one of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the House.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
