No 'November revolution', revolution only in 2028 with Cong's return to power: Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Dismissing speculation about "November revolution", Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said, there will be a revolution only in 2028 with the Congress returning to power in the state.
Asserting that he is a "disciplined soldier" of the party, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President, said he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will abide by the party's decision.
There has been speculation about the chief minister change in the state when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term this month, which is being referred to by some as the "November revolution".
"I'm not meeting anyone (from the high command). There have been no discussions with me regarding Cabinet reshuffle. It is the prerogative of the CM. Let him do it. I have no programme to meet any leaders. I will have to meet them on matters concerning party organisations, vote chori campaign," Shivakumar, who is in New Delhi to meet legal experts in connection with the state's river water projects, said.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Reports about the Cabinet reshuffle and leadership are by you (media). Have I said anything about leadership change? or has the CM said anything? Nothing. We have said that we will abide by the party direction. If the party says the CM has to be there for five years, he will be for five years. If he has to be for ten years, he will be for ten years. If 15 years, he will be for 15 years. We will discharge the duty given to us (by the party)."
Stating that he is a disciplined soldier of the Congress party, he asserted that he will never cross the party line.
Responding to a question regarding the November revolution, the Deputy CM said, "There will be no revolution in November or December or January or February. There will be a revolution only in 2028 with Congress returning to power."
Rejecting reports speculating about the dates later this month for the November revolution, he said, "Someone has written it just like that...there won't be any revolution."
Asked about ministerial aspirants waiting for the Cabinet reshuffle, Shivakumar said the high command in Delhi will decide and do it whenever they feel it has to be done.
There have been talks within the state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the chief minister change later this year.
Siddaramaiah had recently said he would continue in office for the full five-year term, subject to the Congress high command's decision.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy CM.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
