Bengaluru, May 19: Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa along with co-legislator B. Sreeramulu resigned as Lok Sabha members on Saturday after taking oath as the MLAs of the newly-constituted state Legislative Assembly, a party official said.

"Yeddyurappa and Sreeramulu have submitted their resignations as Lok Sabha members to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit spokesman S. Shantharam told IANS here.

Yeddyurappa represented Shivamogga parliamentary segment in the state's northwest Malnad region, about 300km from Bengaluru and Sreeramulu was from Ballari (reserved) segment from the state's northern region.

Yeddyurappa was elected for the eighth time from the Shikaripura assembly segment in Shivamogga district on May 12 when polling was held in 222 constituencies across the state and results were declared on May 15.

The 15th state Legislative Assembly session has been underway since 11 a.m. with the newly-elected legislators taking oath. The oath-taking of all the legislators will be completed before 4 p.m.

At 4 p.m., pro tem Speaker K.G. Bopaiah will conduct a floor test in the House to ascertain if Chief Minister Yeddyurappa enjoys majority in the hung House, as directed by the Supreme Court on Friday.

 

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Bengaluru (PTI): In a significant boost to India’s rapidly expanding space economy, the Karnataka government on Friday launched the country’s first state-led Centre of Excellence for Space Technology here, officials said.

The initiative is aimed at strengthening India’s capabilities to translate space innovation into scalable commercial outcomes, they said.

The Centre, established by the Government of Karnataka through the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society in collaboration with SIA (Satcom Industry Association India) -India, was inaugurated by Minister for Electronics, IT/BT, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Priyank Kharge, in the presence of senior officials and industry leaders, officials said.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Kharge said that Karnataka has consistently been at the forefront of India's technology and innovation journey. With the launch of this Centre of Excellence for Space Technology, we are extending that leadership into one of the most strategic sectors of the future.

"Our focus is not just on advancing research, but on creating an ecosystem where innovation can translate into real-world applications, economic growth, and high-quality jobs. This Centre will play a critical role in positioning Karnataka as a key driver of India's space economy," he said.

According to an official statement, the CoE SpaceTech Foundation has been established under a Memorandum of Agreement between KITS and SIA-India to drive research and innovation in space technologies, industry-aligned training, startup incubation and cross-sector applications, it said.

The Centre has also formalised strategic MoUs with multiple industry and academic partners to support research in space biotech and microgravity, enable collaboration, build talent pipelines, and provide startups with training and market access, it added.