Karnataka logs 201 fresh Covid-19 cases and 1 new death
Bengaluru/Mangaluru (PTI): Karnataka on Saturday reported 201 fresh cases of Covid-19 and one new coronavirus-related death in the past 24 hours. This takes the total number of active cases in the state to 833, a health department bulletin said.
With this, the total number of covid-19 related deaths in the state after the recent spike in cases has touched more than 10, it said.
According to the bulletin, in the past 24 hours, 60 patients have been discharged, a total of 7,060 tests have been taken, including 5,549 RTPCR and 1,511 Rapid Antigen tests. The Positivity Rate stands at 2.84 per cent while case fatality rate stands at 0.49 per cent.
The maximum number of tests were conducted in Bengaluru Urban district. Out of the 2,095 tests conducted, 69 have been found positive for the virus, which is the highest as compared to other districts of the state.
The deceased person, who was aged 74, was admitted in Mysuru. He had symptoms of breathlessness and comorbidities, the bulletin stated.
A total of 13 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district on Friday, taking the total number of active cases in the district to 25.
Health department sources said 348 people were tested for Covid on Friday, of which 13 were found infected.
Besides Bengaluru and Mysuru, DK district has reported a high number of cases on the day, sources said.
As on Saturday, the total active cases reported in Karnataka stand at 833. Out of these, 783 people are in home isolation while the remaining 50 are hospitalised. Among those hospitalised, 15 have been admitted to ICU and 35 are admitted in general ward, it added.
Amid a spike in cases and detection of JN.1 infections in the state, the Karnataka government's cabinet sub-committee on Covid has advised people to wear masks, not send children with symptoms to schools, adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour such as social distancing, isolating for seven days if infected and granting leave to infected employees.
It has also decided to administer "precautionary vaccine" for the aged and those with comorbidities and to get 30,000 doses of Corbevax vaccine from the Centre for this purpose.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
