Congress and BJP engage in verbal sparring over ticket distribution ahead of Karnataka polls
Bengaluru: The Congress and BJP are ridiculing each other over internal conflicts related to ticket distribution and allocation of seats to their top leaders. The Congress has already declared candidates for 166 seats while the BJP is yet to release its first list. According to Randeep Singh Surjewala, a Congress spokesperson, several senior BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, are interested in changing their seats to counter the negative impact of anti-incumbency.
In response to Randeep Singh Surjewala's comments, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Lahar Singh Siroya took to Twitter to counter-attack and drew attention to the uncertainty surrounding the allotment of seats to former Chief Minister Siddaramiah.
Lahar Singh Siroya replied to Randeep Singh Surjewala's remarks, asserting that former Chief Minister Siddaramiah was attempting to avoid contesting “running away” from both the Badami seat he won in 2018 and the Chamundeshwari seat that he lost to the Janata Dal (Secular) in the same election. Siroya also targeted Rahul Gandhi and Surjewala himself in his tweet.
The Congress is anticipated to announce additional candidates in the coming days, while the BJP is expected to release its first list within the next few days, as indicated by party officials. There has been intense lobbying for seats within the ruling party. The state of Karnataka is scheduled to hold elections on May 10 (Sunday), and candidates are required to file their nominations by April 20.
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
