Somanna, who lost to Siddaramaiah in Karnataka Assembly polls, gets Central berth
Bengaluru, Jun 9: BJP leader V Somanna, who reluctantly and unsuccessfully contested against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Assembly polls a year ago, is now part of the new union council of ministers, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It seems to be a sweet turn of events for Somanna, who was reportedly sulking and there were speculations about him allegedly planning to join the Congress, over being sidelined by the BJP, ahead of 2023 Assembly elections. The veteran leader, however, had denied it.
He won the Tumkur Lok Sabha segment by a margin of 1,75,594 votes, against Congress' S P Muddahanumegowda in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
The Lingayat leader, who started off as member Bruhat Bangaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in 1983-87, has grown politically steadily and has had his stint in all the three key political parties in the state -- Janata Dal (erstwhile), Congress and BJP.
The 73-year-old had served as Housing Minister in the previous BJP government in the state, and had unsuccessfully contested 2023 Assembly polls from Varuna, the home turf of Siddaramaiah, and also in Chamarajanagar against C Puttarangashetty.
Somanna was a staunch follower of the prominent and revered Lingayat pontiff of Siddaganga Math -- late Shivakumara Swami -- who was considered "walking god" by his devotees.
Somanna was born on July 20, 1951, to Veeranna and Kempamma in Doddamaralavadi of Ramanagar district.
He was elected as MLA from Binnypet here on a Janata Dal ticket in 1994, and served as Minister for Prisons and Minister for Bangalore Urban Development from 1996-1999.
In 1999, he was again elected from Binnypet as an independent. In 2004, he entered the Assembly for a third time, this time on a Congress ticket, and shifted to Govindaraj Nagar segment in 2008.
However, he subsequently quit the seat and the party to join the BJP, and was rewarded with a ministership. But he had to resign from the post, as he faced defeat in the by-poll to a Congress candidate.
From 2010-2018, he served as the Member of Karnataka Legislative Council.
Somanna was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Govindraj Nagar, representing the BJP from May 2018 to May 2023.
When the BJP came to power, he served as Minister of Horticulture and Sericulture (2019-20) and as Minister for Housing and Minister for Infrastructure and Development (2021-23).
Somanna, who was sulking over allegedly being sidelined in the party affairs, was reportedly in a dilemma about whether to leave the BJP and join the Congress ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections.
He was asked to shift from his Govindaraj Nagar segment to contest from Varuna against Siddaramaiah along with Chamarajanagar, but lost both seats.
Somanna, who had asked for Chamarajanagar seat, was reluctant to contest in Varuna initially. But he had gained confidence with the momentum of campaigning that saw participation from top BJP leaders.
Somanna had later repeatedly expressed his displeasure and took a veiled dig against the party veteran B S Yediyurappa and the party, when the BJP decided to appoint the latter's son B Y Vijayendra as state president of the party.
He had publicly asked the party to consider him for the state president's post.
Somanna is married to Shailaja and they have three children.
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US rules out use of nuclear weapons against Iran
Washington DC: The White House has reportedly ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, even as uncertainty continues over ongoing peace negotiations and a deadline set by US President Donald Trump approaches.
Issues bout a possible escalation had increased after US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use” in dealing with Iran.
His remarks came amid rising tensions and ahead of a deadline linked to peace efforts.
The situation has attracted attention as Trump warned Iran that its “whole civilization will die tonight tonight” if an agreement is not reached by Tuesday at 8 pm.
This statement led to speculation about the possibility of extreme military measures, including a nuclear strike.
Following Vance’s comments, the White House issued a clarification distancing itself from such interpretations. In a post on X, it said, "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons." In a later statement, it added that “only the president knows” what action will be taken regarding Iran.
Literally nothing @VP said here "implies" this, you absolute buffoons https://t.co/7JU3wXMaWX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2026
