Greater Bengaluru Authority elections will be held within this year: DK Shivakumar confirms
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said that elections to all local bodies, including the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) corporations, will be held within this year.
Speaking to reporters in the city, Shivakumar said the state government had delivered stable governance in 2025 and had honoured its commitments. He pointed to major initiatives such as the investors’ meet and technology summits, saying these efforts had helped position Karnataka strongly on the national and global stage.
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He said the government had taken historic decisions in the irrigation sector, including steps related to the Tungabhadra project and progress following court rulings on the Mekedatu project. According to him, the trust placed by people in the government had strengthened its confidence, and the administration was working to live up to those expectations.
Shivakumar said that in his 35 years in politics, Bengaluru had not witnessed such large-scale events as it had in recent years. He noted that even the Prime Minister had praised the city during his visit. He added that despite limited central funding, the state government was moving ahead with plans to give Bengaluru a new direction.
He also praised the Home Department for ensuring tight security arrangements during New Year celebrations, allowing people to bid farewell to 2025 and welcome 2026 without any untoward incidents. Shivakumar congratulated Home Minister G. Parameshwara and the entire department for their efforts in maintaining law and order.
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Expelled Cong MLA Mamkootathil gets bail in sexual assault case
Pathanamthitta(Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court on Wednesday granted bail to expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in the third sexual assault case against him, in which he was arrested earlier this month.
The bail was granted by the Pathanamthitta District Sessions Court, which was considering an appeal filed by the MLA against a judicial magistrate's court that had denied him relief, stating that the allegations against him were serious and that he had "similar antecedents".
The third sexual assault case was registered against the Palakkad MLA under Sections 376 (rape) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), following a complaint lodged by a woman from Kottayam district on 8 January. He was arrested in the case on January 11 in Palakkad.
The Kerala High Court and a sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram had earlier protected the MLA from arrest in the first two sexual assault cases, which were registered based on complaints from two different women.
