Eyeing electoral foothold, AAP to field candidates in all 224 seats in Karnataka assembly polls
Bengaluru, Oct 30: The fledgling Aam Aadmi Party in Karnataka is aiming big in the upcoming state assembly election as it has decided to field candidates in all 224 constituencies with anti-corruption agenda as its main plank, a party leader said.
The AAP is already in the stage of finalising more than half of the candidates and intends to release its first list by the first week of January 2023, barely four months before the election.
Thereafter, the subsequent list of candidates will be announced.
"We have decided to contest in all the 224 constituencies. We have started our campaign in 170 constituencies of the state through Gram Sampark Abhiyan (village approach drive) and we are in the process of appointing people at the booth level in these 170 constituencies," party spokesperson and Karnataka AAP convener Prithvi Reddy told PTI.
According to him, there are 58,000-odd booths in the state and the party is "aggressively" appointing at least 10 workers in each booth.
"We are strengthening our party by working at the booth level. That's how we can fight against money and muscle power," Reddy explained.
These booth level workers have been assigned the task of raising issues concerning people in their area, Reddy said adding that the response AAP is getting is tremendous because people are already fed up with the rampant corruption in the state.
The AAP leader said all the three main political parties in the state have failed to check corruption and meet people's expectation.
Speaking about the prospects of winning in Karnataka, the AAP leader said the party is fighting the battle to win and it was hopeful that it will make its presence felt in the upcoming election.
"The AAP will be here to stay. We will either win now or in the next election. That's how we are approaching this election," Reddy said.
"We are not approaching people as the fourth party but as an alternative to the 'JCB'," Reddy explained.
The JCB is AAP's coinage for the three main political parties of Karnataka -- Janata Dal (Secular), Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"As the JCB these days has become synonymous with demolition, the three main parties of Karnataka have demolished people's aspirations, their hard-earned income, the healthcare and education system, and the infrastructure," Reddy quipped.
The reach of the AAP so far is quite encouraging with 80 per cent of people recognising it and the biggest strength, according to Reddy, is coming from the smartphone users.
"People, especially the youth, who use smartphones know extensively about AAP and what it stands for. They are aware. Similarly, educated women are also rallying behind us," Reddy, who is also the AAP executive committee member, said.
The AAP leader said whenever the party volunteers approach people, they talk about the work that AAP has done in the field of education, hospitals, clean drinking water and electricity in Delhi under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
"People are already aware of our anti-corruption agenda. They especially refer to the one instance where the AAP's Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann sacked his minister for demanding one per cent commission on a contract," Reddy claimed.
The new kid on the block is pinning much hopes on the Gujarat assembly election results where, according to Reddy, the fight is neck-to-neck with the BJP.
If the party wins in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, then the prospect of winning in Karnataka will brighten, the AAP leader said.
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ISI-backed espionage module busted, 11 held; CCTV used to track Indian Army routes
New Delhi (PTI): An espionage network with direct links to Pakistan has been unearthed, revealing how handlers across the border were remotely monitoring real-time movement of Indian Army personnel through a covert grid of solar-powered CCTV cameras installed at strategically sensitive locations across northern India, an official said on Friday.
The surveillance network spanned key cities including Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala and Moga in Punjab, Ambala in Haryana, Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Bikaner and Alwar in Rajasthan -- all of which are crucial due to the presence of Army cantonments, proximity to the international border and their role as major troop movement and logistics corridors.
According to police, the cameras were deliberately positioned to capture activities near military installations, highways used for troop mobilisation and border-linked infrastructure.
What makes the operation particularly alarming is that these devices were transmitting live footage directly to Pakistan-based handlers, allowing them to "sit across the border and watch Indian Army movements unfold in real time".
The module, busted by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in a coordinated operation, led to the arrest of 11 accused involved in espionage, arms smuggling and reconnaissance activities.
The accused have been identified as Manpreet Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran in Punjab; Anmol and Sahil of Firozpur in Punjab; Atul Rathee, Rohit and Ajay from Delhi; Gurjeet of Kapurthala; Rimpledeep of Fazilka; Salwinder alias Kalu and Boota Singh of Fazilka in Punjab; and Harpreet of Moga in Punjab.
Investigators said the network was operating under instructions from Pakistan's intelligence agency, with operatives on the ground tasked with installing surveillance equipment and relaying sensitive visuals.
The use of solar-powered CCTV cameras ensured uninterrupted surveillance even in remote or low-access areas, making detection difficult and allowing the network to function continuously without relying on conventional power sources.
"The cameras were fitted with SIM cards procured using fake identities and were linked to mobile applications, enabling seamless real-time transmission of footage across the border," Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.
The police said the accused had conducted detailed reconnaissance before installing the devices, carefully selecting vantage points that offered clear visibility of Army cantonments, border roads and movement routes of security forces. The footage was then analysed by handlers in Pakistan to map patterns, assess vulnerabilities and potentially plan further activities.
"The intention was not just passive surveillance but strategic monitoring of defence movement patterns over a period of time," the officer said, adding that such inputs could have been used for planning terror strikes or facilitating cross-border operations.
"The crackdown was carried out in two phases. In the first operation, six accused were arrested from Punjab and Delhi, with the recovery of nine CCTV cameras, four pistols, including three foreign-made weapons, and 24 live cartridges. The second phase, based on inputs from military intelligence, led to the arrest of five more operatives actively involved in reconnaissance and data sharing," the Additional CP said.
"One of the key accused, Manpreet Singh from Punjab, was found to be in direct contact with Pakistan-based handlers and played a central role in coordinating communication and facilitating the movement of illegal arms. Others, including field operatives, were responsible for physically installing the cameras and maintaining the network on the ground," the officer said.
The police said the bust has potentially averted a major security threat, as inputs suggest that the module was also exploring plans to target security establishments using explosives and other means. The integration of espionage with arms trafficking and terror planning points to a larger and well-coordinated conspiracy backed by external elements.
Security agencies are now analysing digital evidence, including mobile phones and data retrieved from the CCTV systems, to identify further links, handlers and sleeper cells.
The probe is ongoing, with officials not ruling out more arrests in the coming days.
Sharing the profile of the accused, the officer said that Manpreet Singh has completed BCA. He came in contact with the Pak handlers through an encrypted app.
Anmol, a 10th pass, is engaged in wallpaper pasting work. He installed CCTV cameras at nine locations with the help of his associate Sahil.
Sahil is a 12th pass, engaged in wallpaper pasting work. He assisted Anmol in fixing cameras.
Atul Rathee, with a master's degree in business from New Zealand, received four foreign-made pistols from Manpreet and three country-made pistols from an arms trafficker.
Rohit holds a master's degree in business. He accompanied Atul Rathee to receive arms from Punjab.
Ajay, a graduate, received a country-made pistol from Rohit.
Gurjeet Singh, who has studied up to the 12th standard, established contact with Pak-based handlers through his cousin who was engaged in cross-border narco smuggling. He conducted reconnaissance of Army Cantt and shared photos and videos with the Pak handler.
Rimpledeep Singh, who has studied up to the 12th standard, collected and shared sensitive information, including images and videos of Army and BSF Camps.
Harpreet Singh alias Happy, who completed his education up to 10th standard, acted on the instructions of the Pak handler to facilitate drug trafficking across the international border and planned installations of the solar-powered CCTV cameras.
Salwinder Singh alias Kalu, who has studied up to the 10th standard, is presently working as a DJ operator. He accompanied Rimpledeep Singh in conducting reconnaissance and assisting in sharing photos and videos of the Army and paramilitary installations.
Boota Singh has passed 12th and was involved in cross-border smuggling of narcotics.
