Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) has reportedly added 2.5 lakh new members within a week of launching its statewide missed call campaign, as part of a 58-day outreach drive aimed at preparing for the 2028 Assembly elections.
Party Youth Wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy said that the initiative seeks to reach out to the 50 lakh people who have consistently supported and voted for the JD(S).
The regional party is leveraging technology to streamline its outreach. When a voter gives a missed call to the campaign number, an OTP is sent, allowing them to register by entering basic details such as name, gender, age, and Assembly constituency. Uploading a photograph is optional. "Our system can handle up to 1,000 missed calls at once without crashing," Nikhil noted.
In a show of grassroots mobilisation, JD(S) has deployed senior party leaders across every panchayat. “We are identifying 5,000 active party workers in each constituency and issuing them identity cards. These individuals will serve as the party’s core team and key contacts at the constituency level,” he added.
The party has also launched brochures highlighting the political legacy and achievements of party patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Once the missed call campaign concludes, JD(S) plans to host two major rallies—one each in the Old Mysore and Kalyana Karnataka regions, where the 50 lakh-strong base of the JD(S) will be invited, the report added.
Nikhil also pointed out that the campaign would help prevent future conflicts with alliance partner BJP. "If our candidates are well prepared and have done the groundwork, we can present this data to the BJP leadership and make a strong case for specific ticket allocations," he said. While we will ask for a large number of seats, we must also be practical, and ensure we are well prepared,” he added.
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Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Jul 9 (AP): At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Wednesday, as international mediators raced to complete a ceasefire deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a second meeting in two days with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday evening. Trump has been pushing for a ceasefire that might lead to an end to the 21-month war in Gaza. Israel and Hamas are considering a new US-backed ceasefire proposal that would pause the war, free Israeli hostages and send much-needed aid into Gaza.
Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said the dead included included 17 women and 10 children. It said one strike killed 10 people from the same family, including three children.
The Israeli military did not comment on specific strikes, but said it had struck more than 100 targets across Gaza over the past day, including Hamas members, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, missile launchers and tunnels. Israel accuses Hamas of hiding weapons and fighters among civilians.