LS poll rout; Kumaraswamy calls informal cabinet meet Friday
Bengaluru, May 23: With the Congress-JDS alliance in Karnataka facing a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has called an "informal" cabinet meeting on Friday.
The Chief Minister has also convened a JDS legislature party meeting to review the results, party sources said.
"An informal cabinet meeting has been called tomorrow, May 24, 2019 at 12:30 PM, at cabinet hall in Vidhana Soudha (the state secretariat)," an official intimation sent out to Ministers said.
At the meeting, the Chief Minister, along with his cabinet colleagues from both parties, are likely to discuss the Lok Sabha poll outcome and the way ahead for the coalition, sources said.
As the Congress-JDS government completed one year Thursday, it is on the edge with the Lok Sabha results widely expected to have a bearing on its stability.
The meeting gains significance in the backdrop of both Congress and JD(S) facing a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls by winning just one seat each, indicating that the alliance between the two parties has not worked.
Though coalition leaders decided to jointly fight the polls and reached a seat sharing agreement of 21 and seven seats for Congress and JD(S) respectively,it was not something grass root level workers of both parties were okay with, especially in old Mysuru region, where they are arch rivals.
BJP had contested 27 of 28 seats and supported independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya.
According to sources, despite efforts by both parties to pacify their cadres and ensure transfer of votes to each other, the alliance did not work in constituencies of old Mysuru region, that has had implications on the poll outcome and in turn may affect the stability of the government.
Voices have started emerging in the Congress to end the alliance, holding the partnership with JD(S) as the reason for the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls.
The alliance also fears disgruntlement within and possible attempts by the BJP to "poach" its MLAs, aimed at destabilising the government.
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Navy information leak to Pakistan: Udupi police arrest another accused Hirendra Kumar from Gujarat
Udupi: The Udupi police have arrested another accused in connection with a case involving employees of a Malpe–Cochin Shipyard limited allegedly sharing confidential information related to the Indian Navy with Pakistan in exchange for money.
The arrested accused has been identified as Hirendra Kumar, alias Bharat Kumar Khadayata (34), a resident of Kailas Nagar in Ananda taluk of Gujarat.
With this arrest, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to three. Earlier, on November 21, police arrested Rohit and Santri, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh. They are currently in judicial custody.
According to the police, Rohit and Santri were working in a joint venture company operating at the Malpe Shipyard.
A case was registered at the Malpe Police Station after it was found that confidential details, including a list of Indian Navy ship numbers and other sensitive information, were allegedly shared with Pakistan through WhatsApp, leading to illegal monetary gains.
Hirendra Kumar was arrested on December 21 by a team led by Karkala Sub-Division Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada, the investigating officer in the case. Police stated that the accused had allegedly procured a mobile SIM card in his name for a fee and handed it over to the other accused for use in the illegal activity.
He was produced before the court, and further investigation is underway, police officials said.
