No alliance with Congress, BJP for Karnataka bypolls, both not trustworthy: Deve Gowda
New Delhi: Janata Dal (Secular) president H D Deve Gowda has dismissed any possibility of having an electoral tie-up with either the Congress or the BJP for December 5 bypolls in Karnataka, describing both the national parties as "not trustworthy" and having the "same character".
In an interview to PTI on Tuesday, the former prime minister said JD(S) would contest the bypolls to fill 15 vacancies in Karnataka Assembly alone and "certainly maintain equidistance" from the Congress and the BJP. The veteran politician also said he was in fact reluctant to have a tie-up with Congress after the May 2018 Karnataka election.
"It was the Congress which came to me after the election and persuaded us for formation of Congress-JD(S) government. Initially I did not agree but after prolonged persuasion by the Congress I accepted (the alliance)," Deve Gowda said.
Asked about JD (S)'s strategy for the bypolls, the 86-year-old JD(S) patriarch quipped, "We have nothing to do with Congress and BJP. Both of them are not trustworthy. They will use us when they want and destroy us later. Both the parties are of the same character".
"There is no question of JD(S) having any electoral tie-up with any of these two parties Congress or the BJP and we will go alone," Deve Gowda reiterated.
Asked if he was softening towards the BJP in view of exchange of tweets of appreciation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he replied in the negative: "Nothing like that."
The bypolls are necessitated due to the disqualification of 17 legislators of Congress and JD(S) under the anti-defection law by the then Speaker of Karnataka Assembly. The MLAs later filed a petition in the Supreme Court on which the order is reserved.
The EC has announced the poll schedule for only 15 of the 17 constituencies. It could not do so for Maski and Rajarajeshwari Nagar segments as petitions are pending in the Karnataka High Court relating to 2018 assembly poll. Winning a majority of seats in the bypolls is necessary for the ruling BJP led by B S Yeddyurappa to stay in power.
The constituencies polling on December 5 are: Athani, Kagwad, Gokak, Yellapura, Hirekerur, Ranibennur, Vijaynagara, Chickballapura, K R Pura, Yeshwanthpura, Mahalakshmi Layout, Shivajinagara, Hosakote, K R Pete and Hunsur.
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India, China bear brunt of Trump's tougher visa policies: report
Washington (PTI): India and China bore the maximum brunt of tougher immigration policy unveiled by the Trump administration which issued 2.5 lakh fewer visas in the first eight months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to a media report.
From January to August 2025, the State Department approved 11 per cent fewer permanent resident and temporary visas compared with the same period a year before, according to State Department data released in early March.
These visas are generally issued for students, workers, and family members of citizens and legal residents.
The 11 per cent drop doesn't include tourist visas, which also fell during the same period, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
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According to the report, visas for Chinese and Indian nationals fell by about 84,000 compared with the same period in 2024, largely reflecting a drop-off in international students and workers from those countries.
Business and tourism visas declined by about 3.4 per cent in the first eight months of 2025 compared with that period a year earlier, a drop of nearly two lakh visas.
Between January and August 2024, the US had issued more than 3.44 lakh student visas, the number declined to a little over 2.38 lakh during the same period in 2025.
The family preference visa, which includes adult children and siblings of US citizens fell by more than 27 per cent or by over 44,000.
The visas issued to sea and airline workers also reduced by 30,876, while those issued for culture exchange visitors declined by 29,594.
The visas issued to fiance/spouse declined from 37,229 in the first eight months of 2024 to 18,894 for the period under review in 2025.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that “President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to put American citizens first and every policy decision he’s made has reflected that priority.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said: “A visa is a privilege, not a right. Unlike the Biden administration, President Trump is not willing to compromise the safety of American citizens to allow mass migration of unvetted foreign nationals into our country.”
